Smoke and Mirrors
by wolverette
Summary: Kristiverse #3. In which Kristi takes Logan home to meet the family, a former boyfriend causes tension and an old enemy exacts revenge on Logan! And who is the pretty red-head who claims to know Logan from times before?
1. Memories of Future Past

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the X-Men and I doubt I ever will, dammit! However, in my dreams, the sexy feral who comes to me every night is all mine!!

Hey, everybody! Welcome to **'Smoke and Mirrors' **- the third installment of my Kristiverse series! Set just four days after the X-men's return from Muir Island following their kidnapping by Magneto and his band of renegades, this story continues to expand on Logan and Kristi's relationship, sending them careering towards cataclysmic events which will change their lives forever! And just who is the mysterious red-head who claims to know Logan from times before?

Many thanks to all who followed along with and reviewed **'Shadows of a Dark Mind'!** I hope y'all will enjoy this latest adventure and if prompted to review, please feel free to do so! I am addicted to reviews of any kind - the more the better!

And now ...... onward! Something wicked this way comes ...... !

**Smoke and Mirrors**

**1. Memories of Future Past**

The lower levels of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters were silent and stark, the metal walls a marked contrast to the warm wood panelling of the hallways above. Footsteps echoed hollowly along their pristine length as Kristi Marsters, also known as the X-Man Wildstar, moved cautiously from door to door, pausing to look into each room before moving on to the next. She knew she was looking for something but, at this moment in time, she didn't know what exactly. She would know it when she found it.

She turned to glance briefly at the brooding figure ambling along at her side. Her bondmate, Logan, also known as the feral Wolverine, rolled the unlit cigar between his teeth and raised an eyebrow, pointedly.

"Only one place left ta look, darlin'," he growled passively, nodding down the corridor.

Kristi looked hesitantly in the direction he had indicated. "Danger Room," she confirmed, somewhat reluctantly.

Sensing her fear, Logan moved ahead, leading the way towards the huge double doors that marked the entrance to the team's training room. Kristi fell into step behind him, worrying nervously at her lower lip and wondering, not for the first time, why the familiar hallways felt so alien to her. Both the functional starkness of the lower levels and the warmth of the mansion proper above her had become, in the last three months, as welcoming to her as her own home, yet she couldn't stop the sudden shiver that rippled through her body as she followed the feral. Try as she might, she couldn't shake the ominous feeling that she and her mate were being watched by malevolent eyes.

Logan punched the control panel next to the Danger Room doors with a meaty fist, stepping back slightly to cover Kristi as they rumbled open, protecting her from attack from within. Involuntarily, Kristi flinched as the doors locked back into position, but nothing leapt out to rend her limb from limb and she tried to calm her pounding heart as Logan stepped inside. Giving him a count of ten – time enough for him to locate anything nasty lurking inside and deal with it – she followed, finding him standing in the center of the empty room, arms akimbo.

He quirked an eyebrow at her. "Ain't nothin' here, Kris. Ya sure ya ain't been duped?"

Kristi shook her head, looking around her in confusion. "No. The message was quite clear. There were explicit instructions …….."

……_.. Mom ……..?_

Kristi whirled around, her raised hands glowing golden. "Did you hear that?"

"I heard _somethin'."_ Logan popped his claws with a flick of his wrists, turning slowly on the spot, every sense alert for danger. A low growl rumbled in his chest.

……_.. Mom …….. we're here …….._

"What _is_ that?" Kristi's eyes flicked desperately around the empty room as her bondmate dropped into a fighting crouch beside her, the growl going up a notch. She could hear the voice, but where was it coming from? It sounded far away …….. almost as though …….

She looked up, her eyes alighting unerringly on the control booth situated above the Danger Room, a gasp rushing past her lips as she recognised the two children beating their fists against the glass. Her blood ran cold as she noticed something terrifying and black hovering behind them.

"Logan! _There ……..!"_

Her mate spun on one foot, following the direction of her outstretched arm and leaping forward, ultimately knowing that he was going to be too late to save his children from the thing that was seeking to take them away from him.

Too stunned to move, Kristi could only shout a warning as the black shadow descended and ripped her children to pieces before her very eyes. She screamed ……..

…….. and sprang upright in her bed, heaving a choking sob as one hand clutched to her chest, feeling the frantic pounding of her heart through the silky material of her nightie, while the other gripped the bed covers as though afraid that letting go would send her spiralling down into the depths of despair once more. Her heart was telling her that it had only been a dream – a nightmare – it wasn't real – yet her mind refused to abandon that last dreadful image as her children died horribly at the whim of the formless black shadow, their blood spraying across the control booth window ……..

"Oh god …….." She moaned, and dragged in a ragged breath, fighting the tremors that shuddered through her body. It was the third night in a row she'd had this particular nightmare – the third time she'd woken up in a cold sweat with the cries of her children ringing in her ears. The fact that those children did not actually exist was no less devastating. Talyn and Chiana had been the product of a fantasy life created by Magneto with the sole purpose of keeping the X-Men imprisoned indefinitely, and realisation of this had been heartbreaking to the young mutant who wished for nothing more than to some day bear children for her feral bondmate. Now, with memories of the fantasy life still haunting her, the pain of the nightmares was almost too much for her to stomach and she sobbed helplessly into her hands as the terrified screams of the youngsters once again preyed on her sanity.

She almost missed the soft click of her bedroom door opening, but a gentle touch of reassurance in her mind had her pulling a hand away from her face just in time to see a dark figure enter her room. Unmistakably male in stature, she held her breath as he closed the door behind him and then strode swiftly across the room to her bedside. She felt the bed dip slightly as he sat.

"Kris? Y'okay?"

She stifled a sob vainly, knowing that he could feel her distress through the bond anyway. The very fact that he was here, in her room, gave evidence to that.

"Was it the nightmare again?"

His voice was soft and tender and Kristi couldn't help the shudder that passed through her body upon hearing it. He was trying so hard to be there for her in her time of need and it was this very fact that finally proved her undoing. She leaned into him with a sob.

"Oh, Logan! It was horrible ……..!"

His arms came up to enfold her and she clung to him willingly, resting her head on his bare shoulder and letting it all out – all the hurt, the anguish and fear in her heart. Logan patted her back, awkwardly, and allowed her to cry herself out, murmuring soft words of comfort and projecting his love and assurance down the bond, giving her all the time she needed.

As her snuffles subsided, he pushed her back slightly, watching her swipe at the tears on her face with a shaky hand and he reached out to cup her chin, running a thumb across her cheek and feeling the wetness there. Her own hand came up to enclose his.

"Y'okay now, Kris?" His voice sounded gruff to his ears, but her tender gesture had clouded his judgment, leaving only desire in its wake. This was his bondmate – she was his by right – but so far, since returning to the mansion from Muir Island four days ago, she had refused to take him to her bed. Or come to his. He understood her reasons for wanting to take it slow, but he was feral by nature and 'slow' just didn't come into his vocabulary.

She nodded hesitantly against his hand. "I'm feeling better now, Logan. Thanks."

He grunted in acknowledgement and made to get up, but her hands caught anxiously at his, pulling him back down. "Don't go!"

He raised a surprised eyebrow. "Yer askin' me ta stay?"

"Yes. No!" She dropped his hand and dipped her head, disconsolately. "Oh, I don't know. I just don't want to be alone."

He tucked a finger under her chin and made her look at him. He knew she probably wouldn't be able to see him clearly in the darkness of her room, but he could see every detail of her tear-stained face as if it were daylight. "I'll stay if ya want me to, Kris," he growled, warningly, his tone low and deadly. He wanted her to know that, if she went ahead with this, things between them would change forever. Whether she granted him sexual favours or not, if she asked him to stay, she would never again refuse him access to her bed.

She hesitated, picking up his intent through the bond and warring with her desire for everything to stay the same between them, and her need for company. She was ashamed to admit that she was scared – not of the feral, but of what he represented. Logan was change, pure and simple – change that spelled out a new life for her as a feral's bondmate and …….. change in the form of the loss of her virginity. She knew the feral wanted to make love to her – she could feel his desire every time he looked at her – and that scared her more than anything.

Hence the reason she had refused him entry to her bed.

But she also knew she was living on borrowed time – she couldn't hold him off forever – and fear of the nightmare was making her weak.

She finally came to a decision, lowering her eyes to her hands, which were clasped together nervously on her lap. "Stay," she whispered, shakily.

Logan growled and stood, quickly stripping off the sweat bottoms he had worn for the short journey down the hallway from his room to Kristi's, kicking them away across the floor. As he turned back to the bed, Kristi's scent changed, becoming cautious and afraid. Uncertainty nudged at his mind from the edges of the bond.

"What …….. what are you doing?" she asked, warily, pulling the sheet up to her chin.

"I sleep nude, Kris, ya know that." He made to pull the covers back. "Move up."

He saw her eyes widen in the dark. "But …….. you …….. I mean …….."

Logan pulled back, folding his arms defiantly across his muscular chest. "There's just two ways we can play this, Kris. One: I stay. Two: I go. Pick one."

"I want you to stay, Logan, but …….."

"Fine. Move up."

Kristi scooted over quickly as her bondmate pulled back the covers and slid into her bed. He lay down quietly on his back, hands behind his head, trying to look non-threatening, until Kristi huffed in resignation and snuggled down with her back to him, then he rolled over and moved closer, spooning her gently and pressing his limbs to hers.

He felt her stiffen, instantly.

Snorting a breath into her hair, he slid an arm around her waist. "Relax, Kris, I ain't gonna molest ya, fer Chrissakes. Go to sleep."

_Go to sleep?_ Was he crazy? Did he honestly think she would ever be able to close her eyes with his strong muscular chest tucked up against her back?

Lying there, with his arm heavy across her side, hand tucked just beneath her breast and his breath ruffling into her hair, Kristi had never felt so aware of her body as she did at that moment. She could feel every inch of him pressing against her, particularly his legs, which were tangled with her own. Her silky nightie, which usually fell to mid-thigh but had ridden up slightly with the act of snuggling under the covers, gave scant protection against the feel of his male masculinity. Kristi's whole body seemed to tingle with his closeness and she scarcely knew how to breathe, her heart beating wildly and knowing he could feel it.

True to his word, however, he kept his hands to himself and presently, his breathing evened out, becoming heavy with sleep. Kristi began to relax slightly as she grew accustomed to his presence. Boldly, she moved her leg slightly, letting it rub against his, feeling the softness of his body hair and the warmth of his skin. Her own body hummed in response to the closeness of her mate. His presence in her bed felt right – it felt ….. destined.

Although she had been determined to stay awake, her eyes finally drifted closed, lulled by the regular movement of his chest against her back and the comforting heat he gave off. Her last thoughts, before she finally succumbed to sleep, were of her mother. Brought up strictly to believe in a no-sex-before-marriage relationship, Kristi knew her family would be scandalised to know their daughter had taken a man to her bed, however innocent the circumstances. A man she had known for barely three months.

A man who had the reputation of being a cold-blooded killer.

Sighing softly, she lowered her shields and allowed the essence of the one she loved with all her heart to fill her ……..

**oooOOOooo**

By the light of day, the horrors of the dark hours seemed a distant memory.

Even before she opened her eyes, Kristi could feel her body responding to the early morning sunshine that leaked through a chink in her curtains, and she smiled sleepily, as a small bird landed on the outside window sill and began to chirrup enthusiastically, greeting the new day in the only way it knew how. Stifling a yawn, and wondering if anyone had started breakfast yet, she stretched luxuriously, freezing instantly as she bumped against something warm and hard behind her.

Rolling quickly onto her back, she squeaked in surprise as she found the Wolverine propped up on his elbow behind her, watching her intently with eyes the colour of arctic ice.

"Geez, Logan! You gave me a shock! I'd forgotten you were there!"

Unconsciously, she pulled the comforter up to cover the expanse of skin that was revealed by her low cut nightie, but Logan reached out to stop her.

"Don't," he growled, warningly, and Kristi froze, mesmerised by the intensity of his stare. Her heart thudding loudly in her chest, she sucked in a ragged breath as he dipped his head and nuzzled his nose into her hair.

"Ya smell good," he rasped and Kristi shivered as his warm breath tickled into her ear, raising goosebumps on her flesh. Holding her breath as his nose ghosted around the curve of her ear and down her neck, she almost cried out aloud as his tongue flicked out and licked along her collarbone.

"Taste good too," he mumbled into the hollow of her throat and, encouraged by the way her body arched beneath him, he wreathed her neck with tiny heated kisses.

Tilting her head back to allow him greater access, Kristi fisted her hands into his hair, pulling him closer even as her common sense was screaming that she should be pushing him away. This was everything she had sought to avoid for obvious reasons, but she loved this man more than life itself. He was her bondmate – he was part of her – and the attraction couldn't be denied. Even as his intent pushed against the bond, scaring her with its intensity, her heart welcomed his advances and prayed that he would make her his in more ways than one.

She could deny him nothing.

"_Logan …….."_ His name was a breathy sigh drawn from lips that desired the touch of flesh, and she pulled at his hair, forcing his head up so that she could take his mouth with hers. Encouraged by her boldness, his tongue nudged insistently at her lower lip, demanding that she let him in, and slipping forcefully between her teeth when she parted them. Kristi mewled softly at the invasion.

Beneath the covers, his hand alighted on her knee and began to creep up her outer thigh. Pushing past the hem of her nightie, his caress glided sensually along her ribs to stop just below her left breast. Kristi writhed under his silky touch, remembering another morning not too long ago when she had awakened to find the feral in her bed. Hands had wandered then, too, and only the emergence of one of Logan's bond headaches had stopped them from going too far. With Logan's misgivings about their connection well and truly behind them, there would be no such interruptions now and, as her mate's thumb lightly brushed across her peaked nipple, Kristi moaned softly in obvious arousal.

Things were moving too fast. Everything was out of control.

Did she care?

Yes!

No.

Some small part of Kristi's mind was telling her that she should be fighting this – protecting her innocence – but his hands on her body felt so good and, with reason flying out the window, she craved more.

"Logan …….. oh, Logan, _please …….."_

He broke the kiss, groaning softly as he dipped lower to suckle her earlobe, the sensual movements of her body beneath his hand stealing away every thought save for that of pleasing her. His breath was ragged as he nuzzled into her hair.

"Want ya, Kris," he rasped brokenly, into her hair. "Need ya so bad, baby …….."

He shifted slightly, moving closer …….. and Kristi gasped as she felt the obvious evidence of his desire pressing into her thigh.

Startled, she scrabbled out from under him, pushing back the bed covers and almost falling out of bed in her haste to put some distance between herself and her undoing. His eyes were dark as he watched her backing towards the bathroom door and his low growl made her heart jump, painfully …….. helplessly ……..

"I can't …….. Logan …….. not now …….. please." Her voice shook as she tried to make him understand and, when her back connected with the bathroom door, her fingers scrabbled for the handle. "I gotta go," she finished, helplessly, and ducked inside, closing the door behind her and leaning against it with a flustered sigh. Tilting her head back against the hard surface, she closed her eyes and waited for the frantic beating of her heart to slow, still feeling the sensual caress of his hands as they roved her body, and she stifled a groan, knowing he would hear it.

He had wanted her …….. and she had wanted _him_ …….. wanted him so badly she could still feel the desire pulsing through her veins. She …….. they …….. had come so close …….. and it scared her. The power that she held over the fiercely intense feral tormented her with its complexity, prompting memories of the 'other time' – the life they had experienced in Magneto's fantasy world. Married, with twins, they had shared an exclusively sexual relationship but, while her memory recalled nights of tender caresses and passionate joining, her body had no such experience. It was a mix guaranteed to cause confusion.

Forcing back tears of frustration, Kristi pushed away from the door, stripping off her nightie and stepping into the shower. Briefly wondering if she should have locked the bathroom door against the possibility of Logan following her, she finally decided he was too honourable to accost her in the bathroom and cranked up the heat, taking her shower far hotter than normal in an effort to ease her conscience and soothe her mind.

By the time she had finished and slipped back into the bedroom, wrapped in a large fluffy towel, Logan had gone ……..

**NEXT: **Jean plays agony aunt!


	2. Resistance is Futile

Hi, everyone! The second chapter is here! Many thanks to all who set up alerts to follow the story!

**Logan's Wolverettes: **Yep, the Wolverettes have been busy leaving reviews again, for which I am truly grateful! Major Kudos to **Sniktchick, Sarra Ambrai, MidLifeCrisis, nileena, FrozenVoices **and **Laudine!** Your input is wholeheartedly welcomed!

And now, without further ado, the story continues ......!

**ooXoo**

**2. Resistance is Futile**

Dressing in a pair of comfortable pants and a crop top, Kristi pulled her damp hair back into a loose pony-tail and left it to dry naturally, trusting in its inherent ability to provide her with a mass of loose curls. After smoothing her bed into some form of order, she slipped out into the hallway and down to the kitchen in search of breakfast, pausing only to listen briefly at Logan's bedroom door, but hearing no sounds of movement from within. She guessed he was either sulking quietly or had taken himself on one of his early morning runs around the mansion grounds. The bond was quiet and gave no clue as to his whereabouts.

The kitchen was empty apart from Jean, who was sitting at the table, nursing a mug of coffee. She smiled brightly as Kristi entered.

"Morning! Sleep well?"

"Not really." Kristi helped herself to a mug of coffee and stirred in two spoonfuls of sugar, thoughtfully. "I've been a bit …… restless since we got back from Magneto's base. And then Logan wanted sex this morning ……"

The words were out before she could stop them and she jumped as Jean spat a mouthful of coffee across the kitchen table.

"Oh, geez, Jean, I'm sorry! Hang on, I'll get a cloth."

Jean wiped her chin as Kristi mopped the table. "Well, I guess I asked for that, didn't I? Perhaps I ought to be a bit more careful with the questions I ask first thing in the morning."

She was providing Kristi with an excuse for blurting out her feelings and the young mutant wasn't slow to realise this. She sighed as she tossed the cloth back onto the sink. "I'm sorry, Jean, I wasn't thinking. I guess I'm a bit more attuned to Logan this morning than I thought. I haven't been sleeping well lately and it just sorta …… slipped out."

Jean smiled and patted the seat next to her. "Come on, bring your coffee over and sit down. Let's talk." She waited until her young team-mate had settled herself and smiled, warmly. "You know, when I offered to help you with your Logan problems I had no idea you'd sort them out yourself so quickly. And I must admit, I'm rather envious. Most of the females in this house, myself included, would love to have a gorgeous feral in their beds. You're a lucky girl, Kristi."

Kristi looked back at her over the top of her coffee mug and then suddenly blushed furiously as she realised what Jean was implying. "Oh, no, Jean, I haven't …… we didn't …… I mean ……"

Jean quirked an eyebrow at her. "Why do I get the feeling we're talking on cross purposes here? This is more confusing than one of Henry's medical lectures."

Kristi sipped slowly at her coffee to cover her embarrassment. "Nothing happened, Jean. I mean, it did, but not what you think."

"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Jean, softly, sensing that there was more to the situation than met the eye.

Kristi nodded and lowered the mug, slowly. There was something about the red-headed telepath that she trusted, implicitly, and it wasn't the first time she had felt the need to pour out her problems to her fellow X-Man. It probably wouldn't be the last, she told herself, pointedly.

"I suppose it would be best if I started at the beginning?" Jean nodded, sagely. "Well, I had a dream – a nightmare – last night." She left out the fact that she'd had a similar one three nights in a row, figuring it would only complicate matters. "Logan sensed it and came to comfort me, but I didn't want to be alone and he ended up staying the night. That was okay, but this morning he …… Jean, he ……" She faltered, unable to find the words.

"He wanted to make love to you?" prompted Jean, gently.

"Yes." Kristi blushed again.

Jean smiled. "Well, that's only natural, Kristi. You're a pretty young woman and Logan is obviously very much in love with you." She hesitated, surprised by how childlike Kristi seemed this morning. The young mutant had progressed from strength to strength during her relative short tenure with the team, becoming stronger and more confident in herself and her abilities. Her bond with the team's feisty feral bruiser had opened up a whole new range of possibilities for the pair, not the least of which was the unique ability to link and, in effect, become one mind. Because of this, it was easy to overlook the fact that Kristi was still relatively young – only twenty-one – with all the insecurities and fears that came with such a young age. It didn't help that Kristi had also manifested much later in life than most mutants, resulting in her withdrawing from social circles and therefore missing out on the first tentative steps into the discovery of boys that all teens went through, usually with a gaggle of girly friends to compare notes with. If she had manifested earlier, she would have gone through this stage of her life at the mansion, surrounded by fellow mutants and friends to help and encourage her, but late manifestation had robbed her of this vital period of awakening sexual awareness and now her relationship with Wolverine had effectively dropped her right in at the deep end. Far more sexually aware and experienced than Kristi, Jean hoped that Logan's worldly attitude to matters of love and mating wouldn't frighten the timid girl off.

Kristi nursed her mug for a moment, thinking something through, and then set it down on the table with a thump. "Honestly, Jean, I feel such a fool!" Aha! There was the feisty newcomer Jean had come to know and respect over the last few months. "I love Logan so much and he …… he excites me in ways that I've never felt before. But when I felt his …… you know ……. against my leg this morning, I just panicked."

Jean hid her surprise that Logan had been so obviously turned on by the girl. And the way Kristi couldn't bring herself to name the part was cute, in an endearing kind of way. Not usually the kind of girl Logan was drawn to, but she could definitely see the attraction.

"Why do I keep pushing him away, Jean, when I want him so badly?"

"You're scared, honey, that's all. It's nothing to be ashamed of. Hell, I was just the same when I met Scott." Jean smiled at the memory.

"What happened?"

"I was young and foolish, Kristi. Barely sixteen. And Scott was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen." Jean smiled wistfully. "It was love at first sight for both of us, but it was years before we admitted this to each other and plucked up the courage to take the next step." She giggled, suddenly feeling young again. "I was so scared, I almost forgot how to breathe. And Scott? He was shaking so badly I thought he was going to have a heart attack, the poor boy! But it was wonderful. And I shall never forget that night as long as I live."

Kristi hugged her mug to her chest. "That's exactly what _I _want, Jean. And I've been this close ……" - she held her thumb and forefinger apart, with the barest space between them - "…… twice. I have all these memories from the 'other time'. Memories of myself and Logan …… together. But they're not real. I know that, but it doesn't make it any easier. When I close my eyes, I can still see us – loving each other – being a family. It …… it hurts, Jean."

"Oh, honey, I know." Jean reached out to enclose Kristi's hand with hers, knowing that nothing she could say would ever make it easier. She and Scott still had each other both during and after the 'other time', but Kristi and Logan had lost so much – their children and, in a way, each other. They still had so much to live for, but so much more would never be. Magneto had thought he was providing them with a perfect life, but all he had done was cause more heartache.

Kristi stared into her mug as though expecting to find all the answers she sought floating around in her coffee. "What should I do, Jean? I have all these questions bouncing around inside me and I feel so muddled. Should I give in to Logan and allow him to have me? Will it hurt? I've heard that it does …… the first time. Will Logan be satisfied with me? I know he's had women before me, Jean – many women. They're bound to have been more experienced than me. How will I ever be able to compare with that?"

"Oh, honey, you shouldn't try to compare yourself to other women. Logan loves you – he would never do that. And I can't lie and pretend that your first time won't hurt, because it probably will, but if Logan is a considerate lover – and I'm sure he is – he will do everything he can to make things easy for you. As for the other stuff, Kristi, don't 'give in' to him just to get it all done with and out of the way. Your first time should be more special than that. The best advice I can give you, is to stop worrying and let things happen naturally. You'll know when the time is right. And all your worries will simply melt away and your first time together will be the most beautiful thing in the world. I guarantee it."

Kristi gazed wistfully into her coffee and Jean smiled, the action unnoticed by the younger X-Man. She just couldn't shake the feeling that, for all her power and new found confidence, Kristi was still just a child at heart.

Coming to a decision, she stood and moved to the sink, rinsing out her mug and placing it on the drainer before turning once more to face her companion. "Kristi, why don't you help me make some pancakes for breakfast? I haven't had them for absolutely ages and I always loved them as a child. I'm sure we've got some maple syrup here somewhere and …… oh!"

She broke off suddenly as a familiar tingling in her head heralded a mental summons from Charles Xavier.

_***X-Men, meet me in the War Room in fifteen minutes***_

"Guess the pancakes will have to wait, huh, Jean?" Kristi grinned as she moved to the sink to wash out her mug. "Pity."

"Don't panic, I haven't given up on them yet," retorted Jean, as she led the way out of the kitchen. "And if we play our cards right, we may just get the boys to wash up for us afterwards ……"

**oooOOOooo**

By the time Logan had cut his run short and jogged back to the mansion, Xavier's meeting was already under way. Knowing that the telepath would take it badly if he stopped off to take a shower, the feral simply raided a storage closet on the way down to the lower levels, and had the satisfaction of setting several female hearts aflutter when he entered the War Room a few moments later wearing only shorts and a pair of sneakers, with a towel draped rakishly around his shoulders. Momentarily drawing all eyes as he crossed the floor to stand behind Kristi's chair, he placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently to let her know he harboured no ill feelings. Her opposite hand alighted gently on his and he felt her love nudge with a feather light touch against the bond, as his heartbeat pulsed softly in time with hers, re-affirming the connection between them. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Armor nudge Iceman in the ribs, drawing the young X-Man's attention to the feral's uncharacteristic behaviour, but he ignored them, simply pulling out the empty chair next to Kristi and sitting with a grunt, folding his arms over his sweaty chest, stretching out his legs and crossing them at the ankles.

Scott stared at him for a moment or two before turning back into the conversation. "So how extensive are the repairs, Professor?"

Logan turned his attention to the War Room conference table, currently showing a schematic of the mansion.

Xavier took a heavy breath. "I am afraid the damage caused by Blizzard's incursion team was substantial, Scott. As you can see, almost the entire student's residential level was destroyed by fire." Logan snorted at that. The students had been re-housed in the teacher's wing, resulting in far more disturbance to his sensitive hearing. "Many of the other hallways were damaged during Hammer and Blaze's attempts to draw the survivors out from hiding. Even the lower levels were not exempt. As you know, the hanger was damaged when they broke in and took you and Rogue, Scott. The med-lab and the Danger Room also suffered lesser damage when they cornered Iceman and the other trainees." Logan spared a glance for the younger X-man. He and Hisako – Armor – had been unofficially promoted to the elite team following the debacle with Magneto. The Professor seemed to think that they were worthy of the added responsibility. Logan merely wished the telepath would make up his mind whether they were on the main team or not, so that he could arrange their training regime accordingly.

Storm sat forward, studying the schematic closely. "But what about the work Henry has already carried out while we were …… away, Professor?"

Xavier nodded. "While I applaud Henry's attempts to effect repairs in our absence, Ororo, I am afraid the damage was too widespread for just one man to effectively cover. However, thanks to his diligence, the med-lab, at least, is back to peak efficiency and will hopefully remain so, barring any unforeseen occurances."

"So what are you proposing, Professor?" This from Jean, sitting inevitably next to her fiancé.

Xavier considered Jean's words carefully before answering. "With the damage as extensive as it is, Jean, it is unavoidable that the repairs will cause considerable disruption to both the School and the students. I have therefore decided to close the School for the next three weeks and allow the students to go home if they wish."

"Close the School?" Scott's brow was furrowed in confusion above his ruby glasses. "But, Professor, what if there's an emergency?"

"I said, close the School, Scott, not disband the team. The X-Men will still be fully operational, but I cannot allow the students to be endangered while the repairs are in progress. One stray misuse of a particular ability or even a student in the wrong place at the wrong time could be catastrophic. It is far safer to close the School for the foreseeable future and recall the students when all is safe once more."

Hisako raised a tentative hand. "What about me and Bobby, Professor? Are we X-Men or students?"

Xavier smiled, warmly. "Let's just say you have both earned your place on the team, Hisako. You and Robert may remain at the mansion with the team, if you wish."

"Yes!" Bobby punched the air, triumphantly.

Rogue leaned forward, attracting the Professor's attention. "Professor, is there any reason for all the X-Men ta remain at the mansion? We haven't had any free time in months an' ah'd kinda like ta go home myself."

"No, Rogue, I'm not forcing anyone to stay if they have somewhere else they'd like to be." Xavier looked around at his team. "That goes for all of you. If you would like to go home, or take some leave, then now is the time to do it."

Logan felt the first stirrings of interest coming from Kristi and he glanced sideways at her. Kristi grinned back in response.

"However," continued Xavier. "If you decide to leave the mansion, I would ask you to take your commlinks along. If there is an emergency, I would prefer you to have some other means of contact with you, rather than just rely on Cerebro. We may have to take some of the circuits offline during the repairs."

There were nods all round the table.

"Henry has graciously agreed to remain at the mansion and supervise the repair work." The Beast acknowledged his sacrifice with a nod. "Warren and a team from Worthington Labs will be arriving the day after tomorrow, and the repairs will commence as soon as the students have left. I have arranged suitable transport for any who wish to travel, so we should be good to go by Saturday afternoon, at the latest. If you would like to vacate the mansion yourself, I would appreciate it if you could come and see me in my office this afternoon and I will make the necessary arrangements. Any questions?"

There were none, so Xavier cancelled the schematic and wheeled away from the table. "Thank you for your attention, X-Men. Don't let me keep you from your breakfasts any longer. Jean, I understand you and Kristi were going to make pancakes ……?"

Kristi hung back as the others filed out of the door, and Logan waited, sensing that she needed to talk. When there was just himself and his mate left in the room she turned to him, her eyes wide and hopeful.

"Logan, this is perfect! I've been looking for an excuse to go home and see mom and dad, and now here it is!" She leaned closer, the sweet scent of her making Logan's head swim. "Will you come with me, Logan? I'd really like you to meet my family!"

Logan shook his head, hesitantly. "I dunno, Kris. I ain't exactly the social type ……"

"Oh, Logan, please!" She put her hand on his chest and Logan felt his heart jump at her touch. He stifled the groan that welled up in his throat. Did she not realise what she did to him? - the effect she had on his entire being? When she looked at him with those chocolate brown eyes, she made him want to throw caution to the wind and do anything she asked of him. _Christ, she had him twisted around her little finger!_

"Kris ……," he growled, trying to regain some self dignity.

"Please, Logan?" she whispered, and Logan felt himself drowning in the wave of hope and desire rolling through the bond. He shook his head in denial at the same time as he heard himself say "Okay."

_What the hell ……?_

"Oh, thank you!" Kristi threw her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly on the lips. Logan responded quickly to the stimulus, his arms coming up to encircle her waist as he sought to deepen the embrace. But Kristi pulled away just as things were getting interesting and he growled softly at the affront.

"Don't get all growly, Logan! You'll have a great time, I promise, and you'll get a kick out of meeting my brother and little sister! They'll love you! I'm gonna go and call mom! Let her know we're coming!"

Kristi turned and all but ran from the War Room, leaving Logan leaning against the table with a bemused expression on his face. Slowly, he pulled the towel from around his neck and absently wiped his sweaty chest with it, wondering just where and when he'd allowed himself to become such a pansy-ass where women were concerned. No, not all women, he amended quickly. Just one. The one with the liquid eyes and the bond that whispered all sorts of desires to him in the dark. He was a total lost cause. One look from those sultry eyes and he could deny his bond-mate nothing.

Scott would have a field day if he knew.

"Always a sucker fer a pretty face," he growled good-naturedly to himself and stalked out of the room.

Now seemed as good a time as any to kill something in the Danger Room.

**oooOOOooo**

"…….. Hello, mom? …….. Yes, it's me …….. How're you doing? …….. And Nikki? …….. Oh, that's great! Listen, mom, I'd like to come home for a couple of weeks. Is that okay? …….. No, I haven't been kicked out, mom, it's just …….. Well, there's been a fire and the School's having to close for repairs …….. No, nobody was hurt …….. The X-Men are fine, mom. Nobody was hurt, I promise …….. So, is it okay? …….. About coming home, mom, I've just told you …….. No, just for two weeks or so …….. Really? Oh, that's great! Can I ask a favour? …….. Yes, another one, mom, I know …….. Are you listening to me, mom? I'd like to bring a friend with me, if that's okay …….. No, he's a resident here, that's all I can tell you …….. Yes, mom, he's a 'he' …….. What makes you think he's the cleaner? …….. No, mom, I've got lots of friends here. And what's wrong with a cleaner anyway? …….. Yes, I've got 'girl' friends too, but this guy is …….. well, I'm not going into it now, I'll tell you when we get there, okay? …….. So, we can come? …….. Great, I'll tell him! …….. No, we're gonna travel up by car. I hate trains …….. We'll set off on Saturday, mom, but we'll probably have a stopover on the way …….. No, that's okay, we'll see you late on Sunday then …….. Say 'Hi' to dad for me! And hugs to Nikki! …….. Oh, and how's David? …….. Oh, that's great! …….. See you on Sunday then. Bye, mom!"

Kristi sighed as she snapped her cell phone closed. As much as she loved her mother, speaking to her on the phone was like going through a major interrogation. She always seemed to want to go off on a tangent and it was often an effort to keep the conversation on track. But this time, at least, her mother had been distracted by the fact that Kristi was bringing a man home and suspected she'd granted the request only because she was curious. But whatever the reason, Kristi was excited at the prospect of introducing the man she loved to her parents. The one fly in her mental ointment was the bond and to whom she was bonded to. She knew her parents – or more correctly, her mother – had been reluctant to allow her to attend Xavier's once it became clear who else would be in attendance. They knew of the X-men and they were genuinely supportive of their daughter's desire to become one of the team. But they also knew of Wolverine, thanks to a propaganda news report that had exposed his animalistic nature and portrayed him as a bloodthirsty killer. Only Kristi's insistence that she would avoid the feral mutant had finally convinced her parents to allow her to attend the School. And now, here she was, not only bonded to the man they saw as danger personified, but she was planning to take him home to meet them. It was a situation guaranteed to make a saner person run for the hills, screaming.

But Kristi was willing to take the chance, if only to convince them that Wolverine was nothing like the news report had made him out to be. Once they had met him and seen for themselves how much he loved her, and she loved him, she was sure they would change their minds.

After all, she had, hadn't she?

God, she hoped he was on his best behaviour, or they were all doomed ……..

She almost dropped her cell as Jubilee barrelled into her room, as usual without knocking. The young X-Man's face was flushed with excitement and she flopped down on Kristi's bed, hugging a teddy she had taken to keeping by her pillow.

"Kristi, Wolvie's just told me about the trip to your parents'! Major excitement, huh? When do we set off? What should I pack? Y'know, you've never told me where you live – should I pack a bikini or wet weather stuff? A clue here, dude! Oooh, it's ages since we had a holiday, this is awesome! I gotta tell Remy!"

And with that, Jubilee flung the teddy aside, hopped off the bed and hurtled from the room. Kristi winced as she heard the firecracker calling the news to the mansion's resident Cajun.

"Oh, crap …….."

She really couldn't tell Jubilee the trip had only been planned for herself and Logan – it would break her friend's heart. In hindsight, she realised she should have considered Jubilee straight away – she and Logan were all but inseparable – it was only natural for her to consider that any plans that involved _him _would include _herself_ also.

Sighing, Kristi flipped open her phone and dialled the familiar number. "Hello, mom? …….. Yes, it's me again …….. There's been a change of plan …….."

**NEXT: **Even the most best laid plans sometimes go awry ……. !


	3. All Fall Down

Hey, everyone! Welcome to chapter three!

**Logan's Wolverettes: **Thanks to **Sarra Ambrai, FrozenVoices, nileena, Sniktchick **and **Laudine!**

And now ....... onward!

**ooXoo**

**3. All Fall Down**

Logan went to Kristi's room that night, slipping softly along the hallway after everyone had gone to sleep. Standing at her bedside, he stripped off his sweat pants and slid under the covers, moving close and feeling her stir and finally wake as she realised she was no longer alone. Her startled gasp and tensed body told him he had taken her by surprise and he whispered soothing words and gently stroked her hair to calm her, prudently avoiding touching her anywhere that could inflame desire in either of them. He wanted to put her at her ease, not scare her into rejecting him. Only when she finally stopped shaking did he allow himself to slide an arm around her waist, pulling her close and burying his nose into her hair, letting her know via their bonded connection that he had no intention of taking her this night.

Gradually she became accustomed to his presence and drifted off to sleep, lulled by the steady movement of her mate's chest behind her. He waited, listening to the sound of her breathing deepen and even out. And only when he was sure that she was safely unaware of his movements did Logan allow his hand to drift steadily upwards to cup a delicate breast through the silky material of her nightie. He could deny himself this limited contact no longer.

It actually surprised him how much he wanted her – this slip of a girl with the chocolate eyes – and his need manifested as a physical ache in his belly, a need so bad that it almost overshadowed everything else. To finally find his bondmate and yet be denied her sexual favours was practically driving him insane and went against all his feral instincts. Yet the human side of him loved her and knew that if she was ever going to give of herself freely he had to be patient and show her nothing but understanding and devotion, allowing her to completely relax in his presence so that, when the time came, there would be no hesitation and no regrets.

His intention was to sleep with her as often as possible, thereby breaking down the mental barriers she had imposed on herself until she could deny her want no longer. Logan had never forced himself on a woman – he had no intention of starting now with Kristi – but she was his mate and his feral side was doing its level best to convince him that it was her 'duty' to allow herself to be taken by such a strong and virile male. Logan had enough control over his feral nature not to be swayed by such a notion, but even he felt the ticking of the clock and ached for the touch of his mate. She had almost given in to him once, but those mental barriers had gone up with a vengeance. With everything to play for, he just had to concentrate on getting them down again.

It was a challenge he was looking forward to winning …….

**oooOOOooo**

Logan was gone when Kristi awoke the next morning and, just for a moment, she wasn't sure whether to be relieved about this or not. She feared not being able to resist his charms, knowing she was extremely weak-willed where the handsome feral was concerned. When he touched her she wanted to melt into a puddle at his feet and worship the very ground he walked on, but fear of the unknown held her back – fear of giving her body so unconditionally to another.

She allowed herself the luxury of idling in bed for an extra half hour or so, before getting up and padding into the bathroom. With no classes to be attended, or training sessions to run due to the mansion's repair schedule, the mornings were a little more relaxed than normal and breakfasts were a hit and miss affair, with residents coming and going at all hours. She missed the regular hours and organised training schedule, but the chance to chill out and laze was a rare occurrence.

She had just stepped into the shower and begun to lather her hair when an insistent ring had her uttering a string of colourful expletives, which were cut off rather abruptly with a splutter as she stuck her head under the spray to rinse the lather out quickly. Wrapping a large fluffy towel around her body, she stepped out of the shower and stalked into the bedroom to snatch up her cell phone, leaving a trail of wet footprints across the carpet.

"Hello?" Her eyes widened with surprise as she recognised the voice on the other end of the line. "Oh my god! Nikki, is that you?"

"Hey, big sis!" The tiny voice in her ear was tinny but unmistakably excited. "Have you missed me?"

In truth, Kristi had been far too busy over the last few months to give her family more than a passing thought, but hearing her younger sister's voice now brought a lump to her throat. "Lots," she admitted, with a nod.

"Good. Mom says you're coming home?" Straight to the point as usual.

"Yes. We're setting off tomorrow morning." Sudden panic seized her. "Oh, crap! I haven't even started packing yet!"

"Forget packing, Kris. Most of your stuff's still here anyway and there's more important stuff to discuss. Like …….. mom says you're bringing friends home. And one of them is …….." a pause for dramatic effect " …….. a man."

"HmmMmm." Kristi hedged, wondering where all this was leading. Nikki was a devil for gossip.

"Oh, come on, Kris, you gotta give me more than that! This is major news, you can't hold out on me now!"

"I'm telling you nothing over the phone, Nikki Marsters, so you can stop right there."

"Aw, come on, Kris, be reasonable. Can't you see how interesting this is? I mean, there have been absolutely no men in your life since Max and suddenly you're bringing a man home? This is the scoop of the century!"

"He's a friend," insisted Kristi, forcefully.

"And does this 'friend' have a name? You can at least tell me that, can't you? Or do we call him 'Hey you' for the duration of your stay?"

"Well …….." Kristi hesitated. There really couldn't be any harm, could there? "His name's Logan."

"Ooooh, Loooo-gan!" Nikki drew the name out seductively, making Kristi's toes curl. "You know what, Kris? I think this 'Logan' is more than just a friend. Your voice went all funny when you said his name!"

"It did not!"

"It did too! Come on, spill it! You're going out with this guy, aren't you?"

There really was no point in denying it. The whole reason for taking Logan home in the first place was to introduce him to the family and tell them of their bond and love for each other. She sighed in resignation. "Alright, Nikki, me and Logan are going out together. Happy now?"

The resulting squeal had her moving the phone away from her ear slightly. "Oooh, I knew it! He's your boyfriend!"

"Do you think you could shout it a bit louder, Nik, I don't think they quite heard you in Japan?"

"It's okay, mom's not here. She's out front, mugging the paper boy or something."

Kristi really didn't wish to know. "Look, Nikki, you're not to breathe a word about me and Logan to mom and dad, do you hear me?"

"Ooh, is it a secret?"

"No, but we'd like to tell them ourselves, okay? Can you do that? Can you keep this quiet until we get there?"

"My lips are sealed." Kristi could imagine her sister closing an imaginary zip across her lips. "So what's he like, this Logan? What does he do? Mom says he's a cleaner."

Kristi snorted. "He's not a cleaner, Nikki. Mom's just pulling your leg again. He's a resident here. That's all I can tell you."

"So that means he's a mutant, huh? He's gotta be if he's a resident, right? Can he do really cool stuff? Like read minds or walk through walls? Is he a trainee? Or …….." Another ear-splitting squeal. "Oh my god! Is he an X-Man? He is, isn't he?"

"I'm telling you nothing else, Nikki, you're just going to have to wait until we get there."

"But …….."

"No, Nikki. I mean it! Just be patient and wait."

"You're killing me here, Kris, do you realise that?"

"It's only another couple of days. We'll be there on Sunday."

"Dammit, I've got dance practise on Sunday afternoon!"

"Then we'll probably be there when you get home. It's not going to kill you to wait, Nikki."

An indistinct grumble came from the other end of the line.

"I'd better go, Nik. I'm dripping all over the carpet."

"Do I even want to go there, sis?"

"I was taking a shower, you idiot. Try not to call at the crack of dawn next time. Look, I'll see you on Sunday, okay? Remember what I said about not telling mom and dad anything, or I'll have to fry you with my power."

"I won't forget. See you soon, Kris. Love you."

"I love you too, sweetie. Bye."

As she flipped her phone closed, Kristi suddenly got the feeling that she'd unavoidably walked right into her sister's trap ………

**oooOOOooo**

Trotting into the garage to collect a car for a trip into town to attend a pampering session at the local beauty spa, Jean encountered Logan tinkering with his bike and stopped to watch for a moment or two, admiring the way his muscles rippled under the material of his tight black tee. She knew he was aware of her presence but he chose not to acknowledge her and she found that strangely disquieting. There was a time when the feral had used every trick in the book to get her alone with him, but not now. Not since Kristi. This, more than any words that Logan could ever have said, convinced her of the depth of his feelings for the girl.

Their resident berserker was growing up.

After a moment, his shoulders twitched irritably and he growled around the unlit cigar clamped between his teeth. "I can feel yer eyes burnin' inta the back o' my head, Jeannie. Whaddaya want?"

"Nothing," she replied, honestly. "Just watching you, I guess. There's something incredibly soothing about watching you tinker with the bike."

"If ya need soothin', then the Boy Scout ain't doin' his job right." Logan hitched around slightly and winked at her to soften his words and, just for a second, Jean saw a hint of the old magic that had once flared between them, but it was gone almost instantly to be replaced by the calm appraisal of an old friend.

She huffed a breath. "Scott's soothing me just fine, thank you, Logan. In fact, he's paid for an all-out pamper session at the spa in town - hair, nails, massage, everything. A special treat for slogging all through Magneto's base in my nightie."

"Nice." Logan turned back to his bike and removed a small part, wiping it down with an oily rag.

"Yeah, well, a girl's gotta feel special now and then, y'know, Logan. I'm kinda looking forward to getting my hair done. Thought I might have it cut short for a change. What do you think?"

"Ain't really my place ta say, Red." Logan was engrossed with the engine part in his hand and didn't even look at her. "Whatever floats yer boat, I guess."

Jean sighed and leaned back against Rogue's sportique. "So what about you, Logan?"

"What about me? Ya think I need ta get my hair done?" The feral stood and raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Last time I looked, Jeannie, I was a guy. We don't go in fer pamperin' an' preenin' much."

Jean chuckled. "No, Logan, I mean what floats _your_ boat? I hear you're going to spend some time with Kristi's parents?"

Logan nodded, reluctantly. "Yeah. Not exactly my cup o' tea, Jean. Socialisin' was never my strong point."

"Then why go?"

"For Kristi," responded the feral, honestly, as though this was the most obvious thing in the world.

Jean considered this for a moment. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Logan, but the last time you met your lover's parents, it all ended rather disastrously."

She was referring, of course, to Shingen Yashida, Mariko's father. Logan had been forced to kill the clan leader when he began to drag his family into disrepute.

Logan was silent for a long time, his eyes growing dark and distant, and Jean was beginning to regret her statement when he finally spoke.

"Kristi's my bondmate, Jean. A feral can search for a long time before finding their mate. Some never do. I'm one o' the lucky ones, so if Kristi wants me ta meet her family, the least I can do is oblige her."

"So you're doing this for her?"

"O' course. What other reason is there?"

Jean pretended to think this over for a moment. "Oh, I dunno, Logan. Kristi's a very pretty girl. And you ……… well, what can I say?"

Logan put the engine part he was still holding down on the bike's seat and regarded his team-mate keenly. "What's Kris been sayin' ta ya, Jeannie?"

"Nothing you don't already know, Logan. That she loves you …….. wants you."

"She wants me ……..?" Logan considered this a moment. "Well, yeah, I figured as much. An' I ain't about ta lie an' say I don't want her in return, 'cause I do. But she's young an' unsure of herself …….. she's like a skittish filly. Needs ta learn to relax under the hand before anyone can ride her."

Jean found herself blushing at the double entendre in Logan's words. She coughed, discreetly. "So you think that going home with Kristi and meeting her family will help her to …….. relax?"

Logan shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not. Won't know till we get there. But it can't do any harm, can it?"

"No, I wouldn't think so. But just be careful with her, okay? She's not one of your usual rough-house babes, you know."

Logan actually growled in return. "I know that, Jean, an' I ain't about ta hurt her. Thought ya knew me better than that by now."

"You know what I mean, Logan ……."

"That I'm wild …….. untamed ……..? That may be true, Jean, but I've never hurt a woman unless she tried ta kill me first, an' I ain't about ta start now."

"But your feral nature …….."

"Yeah, I'm a feral, Red. So what? We know what we want, an' we always get it in the end."

"You didn't get me," Jean countered, huffily.

Logan bared his teeth in a savage smile. "What makes ya think I ever really wanted ya, Jeannie? The difference between you an' Kristi is that _you_ were never really mine in the first place. But Kristi belongs ta me, body an' soul. She just doesn't realise it yet …….."

**oooOOOooo**

Kristi found herself staying awake that night, waiting for the soft tread of a bare foot on the carpet outside her door that would betray the approach of her bondmate. The bond itself was quiet, although in the last hour or so she had begun to feel a rising level of anticipation and impatience coming through, giving her ample warning that Logan was indeed intending to come to her bed once more. She knew she was transmitting in return – the nervousness she felt was making her limbs shake and her stomach feel slightly fluttery. It was all due to the uncertainty of not knowing what he intended to do – would he be content to simply hold her as before, or would he expect her to allow him between more than just the sheets?

When he finally slipped silently into her room, effortlessly displaying the stealth of the creature for which he had been named, Kristi felt her whole body begin to tingle with barely repressed anticipation. Once again, he stood by her bedside and stripped down to bare skin, causing her to both bless and curse the darkness which hid his body from her eyes. But there was no hiding the solid feel of him as he spooned her gently from behind and she stifled a groan as his legs tangled with hers, surrounding her with his heat and protection.

The comforting weight of his hand on her hip and the flutter of his breath in her hair finally lulled her to sleep ……..

…….. The nightmare struck without warning, sending the unsuspecting X-Man spiralling down into a world of shadows and things that moved in the dark. The hallways of the mansion plunged into inky blackness as, one by one, the lights were extinguished by something unseen and malevolent.

……_.. Mom …….? …….. Dad ……..?_

The voice seemed to come from nowhere and yet everywhere at once and then the children appeared, running down the hallway towards their parents, their faces twisted with fear as they fled the creature that hunted them. It flowed behind them like a black wave, reaching out in its hunger to consume the youngsters, thin tendrils whipping at their flesh, seeking to impale them. Talyn screamed as he was caught around the ankle and sent crashing to the floor, reaching out to his father for aid as he was dragged backwards into the seething mass, his sister powerless to help him.

Wolverine could only howl in anguish as his son was ripped apart before his eyes ……..

…….. Released from the nightmare by the shock of the senseless death, his eyes shot open, his lungs dragging a huge shuddering breath into a chest that was heaving with shock and imagined exertion. Fighting the overwhelming impulse to release his claws and shred something, he immediately reached out to the slight figure that lay twitching beside him, seeking at once to ease her from the nightmare that still held her in its grip, stroking her hair to calm her even as her distress battered at his already fragile shields.

"Kristi? Kris, wake up, darlin'. Let it go."

She awoke with a jolt, flailing wildly for a moment until she recognised the embrace of her bondmate and then she flung herself against him, whimpering into his chest.

Logan held her close and continued to stroke her hair, crooning words of comfort. "It's okay, Kris, I'm here. Let it all out. I won't let anythin' hurt ya."

"Oh god, Logan, it was awful. And then you disappeared and I was so alone and ……" She choked and scrubbed her hand across her eyes. "I can't stand it anymore. When will it end?"

"I don't know, darlin'," Logan answered, truthfully. He eased Kristi into a more comfortable embrace, tucking her head into his shoulder so that he could surround her completely with his arms. "Ya've been under a lot o' stress lately – maybe this trip home will help ya relax an' the nightmares will stop."

"God, I hope so. I can't keep on waking like this night after night." She tilted her head to look up at his face in the darkness. "Don't leave me, Logan. I feel safe in your arms."

"I ain't goin' anywhere, darlin'."

Kristi nodded and Logan began to rock her gently, soothing her back to sleep and keeping a watchful vigil over her. Only when her breathing began to even out did he allow his own eyes to close, trusting that there would be no more nightmares this night and knowing that sleep would be easier now that the dream's message had been relayed. He was under no illusion that the dreams were simply the product of an over-stressed mind, despite what he had said to his mate. They were too precise, too focused to be forged of random chance – they were a warning, he knew that now. But from who? And of what?

And why were both he and his bondmate experiencing them simultaneously?

Considering their bond, one shared dream was a possibility – four hinted at outside intervention. But this was a fact he was not willing to share with his mate until he knew what they were up against. She was scared enough – no need to frighten her anymore.

Something was coming …….. Something that spelled danger for himself, his mate and their unborn children ……..

**NEXT: **First impressions! The Wolverine meets …….. the parents!


	4. And the Cajun Makes Four

Hey everyone! Welcome to another chapter!

**Logan's Wolverettes; **Many thanks to my reviewers for the last chapter! **nileena, Sarra Ambrai, Sniktchick, Sagas. pen - **(good to have you back!) - and **Laudine! **Your input is always welcome and appreciated!

So without further ado, lets get on with the story! A visit to the parents is in the offing ......!

**ooXoo**

**4. And the Cajun Makes Four**

Kristi expected to be alone when she awoke the next morning, but the sound of gentle breathing announced the presence of her bondmate far better than any words could have done. Smiling, she rolled over to see the feral laid out in his usual untidy sprawl – on his stomach, one arm thrown over the side of the bed, the other tucked under his pillow. Reaching out along the bond, Kristi could feel the peaceful detachment that she had come to associate with dreamless sleep and she stilled, reluctant to wake him from his slumber. The feral's nights were usually far from restful, being plagued with dreadful nightmares of his confinement at the hands of the Weapon X project. Memories of his past were lost to him, but often re-surfaced in his dreams, and many of those events were not pretty. Thanks to recent events, Kristi was now no stranger to the concept of nightmares herself.

Logan huffed a breath and Kristi stretched out a tentative hand to caress his face, brushing back a stray lock of silky black hair. The feral stirred slightly, made a soft sound mid-way between a growl and a purr, and settled once more, his senses telling him he was safe with his mate.

A sudden knock at the door made Kristi jump and squeak, rousing Logan, who growled and made to sit up. He quietened as Kristi held a finger to her lips.

"Kristi? Are you gonna sleep all morning, girl?" Jubilee's voice sounded through the door, impatience colouring her tone. "We should have set off hours ago."

Kristi's eyes widened in alarm. She'd overslept! Flashing Logan a desperate glance, she rushed to cover up the oversight. "No, I'm up, Jubes. Just finishing off my packing. I'll meet you downstairs, okay?"

"I thought you packed yesterday ……..? Well, whatever. Oh, while I'm here, have you seen Wolvie this morning? I've looked everywhere. Can't find him." A pause, then; "Why am I talking to you through a door? Hope you're decent, girl, 'cause I'm coming in."

"No!" Kristi almost yelled as the door began to open, and she looked around in a panic. "No, don't come in, Jubes, I'm …….. ah …….. I've got clothes laid out on the floor! You'll walk on it!"

The door paused and Kristi held her breath, putting a finger to her lips to silence Logan, who was grinning at her, unhelpfully.

"If you're looking for Logan, I think …….. I think he went to put his duffle bag in the car. Try the garage, Jubes." _Please try the garage, Jubilee, before I die of embarrassment._

A soft breath huffed from the other side of the door. "Okay, I'll go look. But don't be long, y'hear? Otherwise there won't be any point in setting off today at all."

Kristi heaved a relieved sigh as Jubilee's footsteps moved off down the hallway. "That was close."

Logan rolled onto his back and placed his hands behind his head, showing off a fair amount of finely muscled chest. "S'matta, Kris? You ashamed of me all of a sudden?"

"No! Oh god, Logan, never! But we're ……… you know …….. in bed …….. together. It's kinda personal, y'know?"

"But nothin' happened," Logan pointed out reasonably. "We were just sleepin'. Unless …….." his eyes flashed, dangerously. "Unless ya'd _like_ somethin' ta happen?" He raised himself up on one elbow and began to lean into his mate. "Whaddaya say, Kris? Wanna fool around?"

Kristi swallowed audibly as the feral all but devoured her with his dark eyes, her breath hitching in her throat at the sudden flash of possession that blazed within them. She felt herself being swept away, becoming lost in their mysterious hidden depths, and she reached out to caress her mate's cheek tenderly, even as his want – his need – flooded into her mind through the bond.

Logan pulled back so suddenly that her hand was left caressing empty air. She blinked in surprise as he raked his fingers through his thick black hair, before swinging his legs out of bed to sit on the edge. He bent to scoop up his sweat pants from the floor.

"Ya'd better go an' get yerself ready, Kris, if yer wanting to keep this a secret from the rest o' the school. Once Jubilee realises I'm not in the garage, the kid's nosy enough ta make a return visit."

Kristi nodded and then reached out a hand to gently touch Logan's back, puzzled by his sudden withdrawal. "Logan? You okay?"

He twisted to look at her over his shoulder. "Yeah, I'm okay, Kris." He winked at her and began to tug on his sweat pants, standing up to ease them over his hips and giving Kristi a fine view of muscled thighs and a shapely rear. Striding to the still open door, he paused for a moment with his hand on the handle and looked back at her, one eyebrow lifting, quizzically.

"If ya don't want me ta say anythin' about this ta Jubes, Kris, I won't. Or ta anyone else, fer that matter. This is just between you an' me."

Kristi, nodded, surprised by the feral's willingness to fall in with her girlish whim. "Okay. Thanks, Logan."

"Don't mention it." Logan swung the door open and made to leave, but paused once more on the threshold. "But ya owe me one," he declared, darkly.

**oooOOOooo**

Having planned on an early start to try and avoid rush hour traffic, it was mid-morning by the time Kristi and her little group were ready to set off, and were accompanied to the door by those X-Men and students who were still in residence or yet to take off themselves. A tearful farewell took place between Kristi and Gina, who was planning on spending several weeks' vacation at Hudson's apartment in Salem Center. It was the first time the two girls had been apart since their dramatic escape from the clutches of Gina's father, and emotions ran high as they embraced and promised to keep in touch. Logan, leaning against the door jamb with his arms folded and one foot propped on the wall behind him, rolled his unlit cigar between his teeth impatiently as he waited out the display, wisely figuring it best to steer clear of emotional females. Jubilee, standing on the porch with her bags at her feet, checked her watch for the umpteenth time, and rolled her eyes at her partner. Logan merely grunted in reply.

With the farewells finally out of the way, Xavier wheeled his chair forward and hugged Kristi and Jubilee, before reaching out to shake Logan's hand and ascertain that they were all carrying comlinks, as he had requested. With a last wish for a safe journey, he pulled back and began shooing his X-Men back inside, leaving Kristi to lead the way around to the garage.

Kristi's classic blue Mustang was parked outside, fully gassed and ready to go. She felt a surge of pride at the sight of the sleek vehicle – a present from her parents on her twenty-first birthday. She had owned it for just a few short months before driving it to Westchester to take up a new life with the X-Men, and she'd not driven it since – a private jet and a fleet of company vehicles at one's beck and call made it easy to be lazy and leave the driving to someone else. But she had missed being behind the wheel of her beloved Mustang somewhat and was looking forward to rectifying that oversight with the long journey back home to Whitby, Ontario.

Popping the trunk, she stood back to allow Logan and Jubilee to place their bags inside. Logan immediately headed off to claim the front passenger seat while Jubilee, not fast enough in stowing her luggage, blew a silent raspberry at his back. Kristi giggled and stooped to pick up her own bags, her head whipping around in alarm at the sound of her mate's surprised voice.

"The hell ……..? What d'ya think yer doin', Gumbo?"

Dropping her bags beside her companions', Kristi slammed the trunk and hurried around to the passenger side of the car, finding the door open and Logan glaring down at his team-mate, Gambit, who had made himself comfortable in the passenger seat.

"What's going on?" she asked, in some confusion.

Gambit smiled his most disarming smile. "Remy, he comin' wit' you, chere."

Kristi blinked in surprise. "What? But …….."

Logan surged forward with a growl, taking control of the situation. "No, ya ain't." He jerked a thumb in the general direction of the mansion. "Out!"

"But Remy, he got nowhere else to go, mon ami."

"Not my problem, Gumbo. Out!"

Kristi frowned and put a hand on her mate's arm. "Wait a minute, Logan. Remy, why haven't you got anywhere to go? Why haven't you gone home with Rogue?"

"Rogue, she don' want her Cajun wit' her on dis trip, chere," responded Remy, disconsolately. "She gone home to see her old sweetheart. Remy, he'd jus' be in de way."

"The boy she put in a coma?" asked Jubilee, walking around from the other side of the vehicle. "But that was ages ago."

"Oui, petite. An' de Rogue, she goes home to see him once every year. To remind her of de consequences o' not using her power wisely an' to make peace wit' her ghosts."

"Oh, geez, that's sad," remarked Jubilee, suddenly seeing her Southern team-mate in a new light.

"That's all well an' good, Cajun, but what's this got ta do with us?" Logan had rocked back on one foot and folded his arms, defiantly.

"Remy jus' said, mon ami. He comin' wit' you!"

"An' I jus' said, yer not!"

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Logan, you're just going around in circles!" Kristi pushed him back so that she could give Remy her full attention, earning herself a rough growl, which she skilfully ignored. "Why can't you stay at the mansion, Remy? This is your home."

"Oui, an' Remy an' housework, dey don' mix, chere." Remy grinned at her, all teeth and flashing red eyes. "Got a hankerin' to broaden my horizons, y'understand? Heard about your little trip from de firecracker. Remy t'ought he would tag along for a while."

Kristi glanced at Jubilee, her lips pursed. Jubilee shrugged. "Oops."

"But I'm going home, Remy," Kristi persisted. "To see my parents. It's not a sightseeing trip. You'll be bored."

Remy shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not. If Remy get bored, Remy move on p'haps."

Logan threw his hands in the air, disgusted. "I can't believe we're even havin' this conversation. Yer not goin', Gumbo, an' that's final."

"But why not?" asked Jubilee, coming to the Cajun's rescue. "It'll be fun having him along. Whaddaya say, Kristi?"

"Oh, fer cryin' out loud ……..!" Logan stalked away a few feet and rummaged in his jacket pocket for a match. "When ya've figured it all out, give me a call. I'm goin' fer a smoke." He stomped off around the side of the garage, muttering under his breath.

Kristi watched him go, feeling his annoyance through the bond. It wasn't stemming from any hatred towards his Cajun team-mate – they'd been friends too long for that – he simply didn't understand why he wanted to accompany them.

Kristi sighed and tried to make some sense of the situation. "You really want to go with us, Remy? Instead of staying here and helping with the repairs?"

"Housework not high on Remy's list o' priorities, chere." The Cajun grinned at her. "Remy a t'ief. Good wit' his hands in other ways, non?"

"Well, I don't think repairs to the mansion could hardly be classed as housework, but I take your meaning." Kristi sighed and ran a hand through her hair, left loose and falling in soft curls around her shoulders this particular morning. She shook her head in amusement. "Look, if you really want to come, I'll make the necessary arrangements, but I honestly can't understand why you'd want to tag along. It's not as though we'll be doing anything exciting."

"Seein' de show be excitement enough, chere." And Remy flicked his eyes meaningfully in Logan's direction.

"You'd better behave yourself, you hear?" Kristi wagged a finger at him and dug in her pocket for her cell phone. "These are my parents we're visiting, it's not a major incursion into Brotherhood territory. And you are not to goad Logan."

"Remy be de soul o' discretion, chere."

"Hmm." Kristi flipped her cell phone open as Logan stalked back to the car, having obviously overheard everything. He tossed his cigar to the gravel and ground it underfoot, flipping a thumb at the Cajun. "Out, Gumbo. Put yer bag in the trunk an' get in the back. I've called shotgun."

"Anyt'ing you say, mon ami." Remy hopped out of his seat and walked around to the back of the car to pop the trunk, grinning good-naturedly at Kristi, who rolled her eyes in return, just as Logan dropped into the passenger seat with a satisfied grunt. She was beginning to suspect she'd just made a very big mistake. Visiting her parents with Logan was hair-raising enough. Visiting her parents with Logan, and with Remy and Jubilee tagging along was enough to make any sane person run screaming for the hills.

"Hello?" The familiar voice at the other end of the phone line brought her back down to earth with a bump.

"Hello, mom? Yes, it's me again. Listen, there's been another change of plan …….."

**oooOOOooo**

"Are we there yet?" Jubilee chewed her gum and blew a large pink bubble, staring out of the window at the passing scenery with unfeigned disinterest. The bubble popped and she sucked the gum back into her mouth with a sigh. "I'm bored."

"Well, actually ……."

Logan interrupted his mate with a grunt, swivelling in his seat to fix his young partner with an annoyed eye. "Once more. Jus' once more, Jubilee, an' I swear I'll stop this car an' take ya over my knee."

"Well, dat should be somet'ing to see," remarked Remy, easily.

"Logan ……."

"Not now, Kris. I'm sick o' the kid's whinin'. She's been at it fer miles."

"I'm _bored,"_ insisted Jubilee. "And I'm hungry! We've been travelling for hours and I'm getting a cramp!"

"De petite got somet'ing dere," put in Remy, trying to stretch out his long legs and bumping his knees into the back of Kristi's seat. "Remy t'ink it time for a rest stop, non?"

"Yes!" agreed Jubilee, looking out of the window for a diner, hopefully. "That's too votes for a rest stop, Kristi! Anywhere'll do, we're not fussy."

"I swear it's like travelling with a couple o' kids." Logan turned back in his seat to face front, pulling at his seatbelt irritably. " 'Can we stop, I'm bored?' 'Can we stop, I'm hungry?' 'Oh, now I need the toilet'. An' that's just the Cajun."

"No need to pick on Remy, mon ami. He wasn't de one to get gum in the back o' your hair."

"Yeah, an' I'll be pickin' _that_ out fer days." Logan ran a hand through his hair, still feeling the stickiness. "Stuff stinks like a candy shop too."

"I said I was sorry," Jubilee pouted, in return.

"Hey, guys …….?"

"Stuff oughta be banned," continued Logan, obviously on a roll. "It's a damned health hazard."

"Hey, it's thera …….. therapet …….. it keeps me calm," objected Jubilee, huffily. "Gives my mouth something to do."

"It don't shut ya up any," responded Logan, with a growl. "Ya been yammerin' on fer miles. Why ain't it glued yer teeth together yet?"

"De Wolverine is one grumpy X-Man when he's been cooped up for six hours, non?" asked Remy, of no one in particular. He leaned forward slightly and tapped the back of Kristi's seat. "De petite got a point, chere. Maybe we should stop an' let him chase squirrels for an hour or so, hmm? Let off some steam, oui, before de X-Man get really ticked off an' skewer us all wit' dose claws o' his?"

"Cajun, so help me, I'm warnin' ya ……."

"Can we stop, Kristi? I'm all cramped up and Remy keeps leaning on me."

Kristi sighed and sent a silent prayer to the goddess of patience. "No, Jubilee, we're not having a rest stop."

"We're not?" echoed Remy and Jubilee, together.

"Why?" added Jubilee, her voice sulky.

"Because we're here!"

"We are?" Jubilee all but plastered her nose to the window as she looked at the scenery with renewed interest. They were travelling along a scenic avenue, with large houses set back from the road in spacious grounds. "Where?"

"Here." And Kristi took a right turn into the next driveway.

"Oh, geez ……." Jubilee breathed out in surprise as the driveway meandered between well manicured lawns and strategically placed fir trees before opening out into an area large enough to accommodate several cars in front of a sprawling two storey house. Jubilee's mouth dropped open. "My god, Kristi! You live here?"

"Yep." Kristi pulled the Mustang in beside a black Beamer and switched off the engine. "Home sweet home."

" Oh my god ……." Jubilee couldn't pull her eyes away from the rambling white-walled dwelling in front of her. While definitely not as large as the mansion, it still looked roomy enough to house the entire team and still have rooms left over. "Kristi, are you rich?"

"What, me personally, or the whole family?"

"Ya never told us," remarked Logan, gruffly.

Kristi smiled at her mate, apologetically. "You never asked, sweetie. And somehow the subject never came up."

She reached down to pull the trunk lever at the side of her seat. Logan snorted and opened his door, getting out and making his way around to the trunk to begin pulling out the bags. Kristi followed, hoping that her little oversight hadn't just driven a wedge between them. He'd been bad enough when he'd discovered she was Canadian and had neglected to tell him. This second omission had obviously irked him once more.

Any further reflection was halted as the front door swung open to reveal a smartly dressed middle-aged couple with beaming faces.

Kristi squealed in delight. "Mom! Dad!"

She scampered across the driveway and flung herself into the woman's arms, leaving Jubilee and Remy to follow along behind, the latter donning a pair of darkened sunglasses to conceal his eyes. The woman was trying to defend herself unsuccessfully from her daughter's bone-crushing hug. "Mom! I've missed you so much!"

"It's good to have you back, sweetheart." The woman pushed Kristi back slightly to look her up and down with a critical eye. "You've grown your hair!"

"Yes. Do you like it?" Kristi fingered her golden curls, smiling at her mother's approving nod, then reached out a hand to pull her father into the embrace. "Hi, dad! I've missed our hugs! Ooh, it's so good to see you both again. I've missed you terribly. And I've got so much to tell you!"

"Maybe you'd better start by introducing us to your friends?" Kristi's father stepped back, his eyes full of amusement as Kristi remembered her manners and turned to gesture Jubilee and Remy forwards.

"Mom, dad, this is Jubilee. She's my best friend," Kristi declared, proudly, as her mother took the young mutant's hand in a friendly shake.

"Welcome to our home, dear."

"Thanks, Mrs Marsters."

"And this …….." continued Kristi, indicating Remy.

"This must be Logan," finished her mother, holding out her hand. "We're very pleased to meet you. Of course, Kristi's told us absolutely nothing about you, so we'll be interested to know how you two met!"

Remy flinched slightly, but took her hand and bowed gallantly over it, pressing a small but chaste kiss to the back. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, madam, but you have Remy at a slight disadvantage. De name is Remy LeBeau. At your service."

"But I don't understand …….." Kristi's mother drew back her hand, looking flustered. She glanced towards her daughter. "We understood you were bringing your boyfriend home to meet us, dear."

"She is," rumbled Logan, striding up, laden down with all the bags. "That would be me." He dropped the bags on the ground at his feet and stuck out his hand to Kristi's mother. "Pleased to meet you."

There was a moment of stunned silence as Logan's words registered, then Kristi's mother drew back slightly, ignoring his offered hand. "But you're …….. you're ……." Without another word, she turned and strode back into the house.

Logan's face visibly darkened and Kristi stepped in to his side, ashamed by her mother's actions. "Mom ……?"

Her father recovered quickly and stepped forward, taking the feral's hand just as he lowered it and pumping it, vigorously. "We're very pleased to welcome you to our home, son. Come on in! Don't you mind my wife – I'm sure she's just a little overwhelmed at seeing Kristi again after so long. Come in, all of you! Are you hungry? Our evening meal is set for eight o' clock, after Nikki and David get home, but I'm sure a little snack wouldn't go amiss, no?"

Throwing a companionable arm around Logan's shoulders, he led the way inside, chatting carelessly about this and that and asking about the journey. Behind them, Jubilee and Remy exchanged pointed glances and then picked up the bags between them, following along as Kristi's father led the way to a sumptuous living room with patio doors that led out to the side garden. His tone was light and friendly, but Remy didn't miss the loaded glance he threw at his hovering wife as he bid everyone to sit.

"How about a drink?" he asked, as everyone settled. "Coffee?"

"Coffee for me, dad, but Logan will have a beer if you have one." Kristi tossed her mate a nervous glance as he settled on the couch beside her, placing one ankle on the opposite knee and feigning nonchalance. Her mother's reaction had un-nerved her somewhat and she could feel Logan's unease through the bond. Her father was doing his best to welcome the visitors to their home, but she could still sense her mother's hostility and knew it was all directed at Logan. Tears prickled in her eyes and she felt her mate's hand alight gently on her knee, along with a pulse of love and assurance through the bond. That he was still willing to support her after the welcome he had received made her want to kiss him there and then to show her gratitude.

"Beer?" Kristi's father frowned, slightly. "Yes, I'm sure we have some somewhere. David likes the odd bottle now and again. I'm a gin and tonic man myself, but I quite understand the attraction to the darker stuff." He looked to Remy and Jubilee, questionably.

"Coffee will be fine, mon ami," said Remy.

"Do you have any Coke, Mr Marsters?" asked Jubilee, politely. "My mouth is full of travel dust."

Kristi's father laughed, good-naturedly. "Oh please, Jubilee, call me Gordon. My wife is Linda. That goes for all of you," he added, looking around at the others, his gaze lingering pointedly on Logan. The feral inclined his head, gratefully. "Drinks coming up!" He bustled past his wife, who was still standing in the doorway, and headed for the kitchen.

Linda Marsters straightened stiffly and speared her daughter with a glare. "Kristi, maybe you'd like to help me with some sandwiches?"

It was phrased as a question, but Kristi knew it was anything but. She pushed herself hesitantly to the edge of her seat. "Okay ……."

Logan caught her hand as she stood and pulled her around to face him, using her body as a shield as he silently mouthed 'It'll be okay'.

Kristi nodded, sighed and followed her mother silently from the room and down the hallway to the kitchen. No sooner had they entered when the woman whirled, her eyes ablaze.

"That man …….." she flung out a hand, gesturing wildly in the direction of the living room. "That man is not welcome in my house, Kristi!"

"Mom ……?" Kristi gaped at her mother, unable to believe her reaction, her mind a confused jumble of emotion. "What ……..? Why?"

Her father straightened from his search of the refrigerator, a frown creasing his features as he looked at his wife. "Linda, please. Be reasonable. This is Kristi's boyfriend we're talking about."

Her mother snorted. "Boyfriend? Gordon, the man is old enough to be her father! And I have no intention of being reasonable! He is not staying a single night under my roof!" She turned back to her daughter. "He goes, Kristi! Now!"

And Kristi could only stare in shock as her whole world crumbled around her ……..

**NEXT: **Will they go or stay? And will this be resolved? Logan takes matters into his own hands.


	5. First Impressions

Hey everyone! Well, some bits of this chapter I'm happy with, and some I'm not so happy with, but it seems to be heading where I wanted it to go so I finally decided to stop fooling around with it and just post it! Feedback will be gratefully received!

**Logan's Wolverettes: ** Many thanks to my faithful reviewers! - **nileena, Kyryn1, Sniktchick, Laudine, FrozenVoices, Sarra Ambrai **and** Dumesweeney!**

Let me know what you think, guys! On to the story ...... !

**ooXoo**

**5. First Impressions**

"I mean it, Kristi! That man has to go! I will not have him in my house a moment longer!"

"Mom, this isn't right. Logan's my b …… my friend, and I will not ask him to leave. If he goes, I go too!"

"If that's the way it's to be, Kristi ……."

Mr Marsters advanced on his wife, hands held up, pleadingly. "Linda, please. Let's talk this over and not be hasty."

His wife shook her head, vehemently. "There's nothing to talk about, Gordon. The man is at least fifteen years older than Kristi. It's wrong, can't you see that?"

"But if they're in love …….?"

"Love? Don't give me that excuse, Gordon. Of course they're not in love! With only one tentative boyfriend to her name, do you honestly think Kristi knows anything about love?"

Kristi stepped forward, angrily. "Now wait just a minute ……..!"

Her mother rounded on her, eyes narrowed. "No, you wait, Kristi. Answer me this – what exactly does this ……… this 'boyfriend' of yours do at your school anyway?"

"He's a teacher." The moment the words left her mouth, Kristi knew she had said the wrong thing. He mother pounced on the statement like a terrier on a rat.

"I knew it! You see, Gordon? He's just using his position at the school as a means to prey on innocent young girls!"

"How dare you …..?" Kristi knew she was taking liberties in talking back to her mother, but she couldn't stand idly by and let her mate's name be sullied. Her temper was rising and she desperately tried to rein in her feelings, but she knew she was transmitting her distress and feared the consequences. She had to stop this before it went too far. She once more tried the voice of reason. "Logan is a good man, mom. He's not capable of anything bad."

"A likely story!" Mrs Marsters leaned into the still open fridge and began pulling out cooked meats and salad, which she banged down angrily on the counter top. "And another thing – have you had sex with him?"

"What? No, mother!"

Mr Marsters held up his hands. "That's it! This conversation has just taken a direction in which I am not willing to go." He began to gather his hastily assembled drinks, placing them on a tray. "I'm going back to our guests. 'Guests', Linda. All of them. Before they start figuring out that something is wrong." He gave his wife a pointed glance. "Sort this out. Because I, for one, have no wish to alienate our eldest daughter over something so trivial." And with that, he stalked from the kitchen.

Kristi watched him go and then turned back to her mother. "He's right, you know. All this is ridiculous."

Mrs Marsters sighed and, for a moment, Kristi saw the mother she had always known – kind, loving and protective. But those very qualities were now proving her undoing. Her mother wanted the best for her daughter, but couldn't see beyond her own prejudice. "Maybe this is ridiculous to you, Kristi, but not to me. Can't you see this from my point of view? Can't you see how wrong this is?"

"It's not 'wrong', mom. Logan and I love each other." Kristi wished she could mention the bond, but with her mother so dead set against Logan's age, she didn't think it would help.

Mrs Marsters snorted. "Oh, please, Kristi, not you too? This simply will not do – this Logan obviously has you deeply under his influence. But luckily, I can see a way around this. You say you've not had sex with him? Well, at least I can give you credit for that – and it means he has no ties to you. So we simply give him some train fare home, he leaves tonight and no one will be any the wiser."

Kristi threw up her hands in disgust. "I just can't believe this! I finally find someone who I can be myself with, who knows I am a mutant and isn't appalled by it, and you ….. you hate him!"

"Hate is a very strong word, Kristi. I don't 'hate' the man, I just don't want him to be involved with my daughter."

"But can't you see …….?" A soft touch to the bond distracted her just seconds before Kristi sensed movement in the doorway. She turned to see Logan standing there, his eyes dark.

"Anythin' wrong, Kris?" he half growled.

Kristi shook her head, distractedly. "No, I …….. I'm fine, Logan. Really."

She was lying and he knew it. Logan snorted and moved across the kitchen to stand beside her, slipping an arm around her waist and pulling her close as if to prove his possession of her. "Not what _I_ heard."

"No, it's okay, Logan." Kristi was desperate for him to not cause a scene. "Mom and I were just talking."

"Yes, Logan, Kristi and I were simply chatting." Mrs Marsters reached into a drawer for a knife and began slicing cucumber, feigning nonchalance. "We were discussing your age, to be more precise." She turned from the counter, pinning the feral with a frosty glare. "Tell me – just how many years older than my daughter are you exactly?"

Logan quirked an eyebrow. "Oh, I dunno. Hundred or so, maybe." The knife clattered to the floor from Mrs Marsters' suddenly limp fingers and he stooped to pick it up. "The years don't matter. What does matter, is the love I feel for your daughter, Mrs Marsters. An' the love she feels fer me in return. Now if you can't respect that, that's your problem, not mine." He held out the knife, but Mrs Marsters was too stunned to take it. He slid it onto the counter next to the cucumber. "I know you don't like me. Don't bother me much – people have hated me as long as I can remember, so you can think on me as you see fit. I won't lose any sleep over it either way. But this is Kristi's home. An' she's come a long way to see you an' her dad, an' maybe give you both some good news. An' I will not have you treatin' her as though she's done somethin' shameful an' sordid. Do you understand me?"

Mrs Marsters nodded, weakly.

"I _will_ be stayin', Mrs Marsters, no doubt about that. Treat me how ya want - ain't no skin off _my _nose an' I'm used to it – but Kristi's your daughter. She's an X-Man. An' she deserves more respect than you're currently showin' her. Deal with it." Without waiting for a reply, he turned back to his bondmate. "Come on, darlin', yer coffee's goin' cold."

And he led his mate from the kitchen.

Mrs Marsters watched them go, letting out the breath she hadn't even realised she'd been holding. Her hands shook as she turned back to the counter and picked up the knife. Clearly, she'd underestimated Logan's hold on her daughter and more drastic and final measures were called for in order to put things right.

She began to slice the cucumber once more, letting the repetitive motion soothe her mind so that she could think more clearly and rationally.

It only took a few moments to come up with the perfect plan. With a serene smile on her lips, she reached for the phone on the wall beside her and began to dial ……

**oooOOOooo**

"Oh, there you are, sweetheart!" Kristi's father turned from the cabinet he and the others were gathered around as Logan and Kristi entered the room. "I was just showing your friends Nikki's dance trophies."

"You should have waited until she got home, dad." Kristi moved across the room, her mate one step behind her, his hand resting possessively against the small of her back. "She would have liked the chance to show off."

"She'll find enough opportunities to show off without the trophies for an excuse." Mr Marsters smiled and handed Logan the bottle of beer he was still holding. Logan nodded at the man's kindness and then grinned appreciatively as he noticed the label. Things were certainly looking up – it was his favourite Canadian brand.

"So how old is Nikki, Mr Marsters?" Jubilee placed the trophy she was holding carefully back into the cabinet and gave Kristi's father her most disarming grin.

"She's fourteen. Probably around your age, my dear, so I reckon you'll get along just fine. She's a confident child, if a bit forward for her age, but she's also prone to mischief, so don't let her lead you into anything."

Logan snorted, an action which he hastily turned into a cough. He seriously doubted that Nikki would get the chance to lead Jubilee into any mischief at all – knowing the firecracker as well as he did, he suspected that any mischief would be instigated by someone closer to his heart.

Remy was staring across the room at another cabinet also full of trophies, to which he now pointed. "Are dose also belonging to de petite, Mr Marsters?"

"Petite? Oh, you mean Nikki?" Kristi's father was clearly getting the hang of deciphering Remy's strange mode of speech. He looked at the cabinet and glanced sideways at his eldest daughter. "No, they're …….. ah …….. they're Kristi's."

"Kristi's?" Jubilee immediately trotted over for a closer look, while Kristi blushed furiously and glared at her father. "Latin American ……. Ballroom …….. Kristi, I didn't know you could dance!"

"It seems there's a lot you haven't told us, Kris." Logan raised an eyebrow at her and Kristi had the grace to look apologetic.

"It just never came up," she argued, half-heartedly. "And besides, it was a long time ago. I haven't danced in years. I'd probably fall over my own fool feet if I tried now."

"Rubbish!" Mr Marsters treated his daughter to an amused snort. "It's like riding a bike. Once learned, you never forget ……."

He trailed off as his wife entered the room, bearing a large plate of sandwiches cut into triangles. She smiled, brightly. "Help yourselves, everyone!"

Exchanging wary glances, Remy and Jubilee each helped themselves to a sandwich. Mrs Marsters smiled at them before moving on to offer the plate to Logan. He took one, but Kristi noticed that he actually sniffed it before taking a bite. The flash of open suspicion that came to her through the bond suggested that he hadn't ruled out the possibility of her putting something nasty between the bread just to spite him. She swatted his arm, playfully, and Logan grinned back, realising he'd been caught out.

Mrs Marsters placed the sandwiches on a nearby coffee table so that everyone could help themselves. "So let's get to know each other a little better, shall we?" she announced, cheerily. Her husband tossed her a warning glance, but she ignored him and made herself comfortable in a large easy chair by the ornate fireplace. "I assume, since you all live at the same school as Kristi, that you're all mutants?"

"Mom, you know we can't tell you that." Kristi helped herself to a sandwich and claimed her original place on the couch. "It's for your own safety as well as ours."

"Oh, come now, I'm not asking you to divulge state secrets or anything. I'm just interested. Logan, perhaps you'd care to tell me what your particular mutation is?"

Logan, just taking a seat next to Kristi on the couch, shook his head. "I can't do that, Mrs Marsters," he answered, quietly, still desperately trying to keep the peace for Kristi's sake, despite the woman having singled him out for attention.

"So you admit you're a mutant?"

"I never said that."

"Linda, perhaps our guests would prefer to talk about something else?" Mr Marsters moved forwards, his expression suggesting his wife had better change the subject or there would be serious words being exchanged.

Kristi's mother shrugged, innocently. "Gordon, I'm merely trying to get to know our daughter's friends better. Surely there's nothing wrong with that? After all, I'm sure that Logan's ability can't be so bad that he has to hide it. Unlike that hideous man we saw on that news programme some months back."

"Pardon moi, what hideous man would dat be, madam?" asked Remy, becoming interested by the turn of events and moving nearer.

Kristi gave Logan a mental poke and warned him to keep calm. She had a feeling she knew exactly what was coming.

Her mother waved a hand, indifferently. "We didn't actually see his face because he was wearing a mask, so 'hideous' is just a figure of speech, but he had these ……. these things coming out of his hands …….." She frowned as Remy whistled through his teeth, instantly recognising his feral team-mate. Jubilee, unnoticed by all, turned a shade whiter, " …….. and the programme made it quite clear that he was a killer – a trained assassin. We had no idea that mutants could have such dreadful mutations – and for the school to actually take these sort of people in ……"

"You know, those 'things' in his hands, they're nothing to do with his mutation." Jubilee couldn't help coming to the defence of her partner. Kristi quickly shook her head at her, but the young mutant had seen enough prejudice in her short lifetime to be repulsed by it. "He was captured – tortured – by humans. They put those 'things' in him, and worse besides and he's had to live that with ever since."

"But he's dangerous, isn't he?" persisted Mrs Marsters. "And he lives at a school, with youngsters. When we heard this, we begged Kristi not to go, but she was adamant."

"_You_ begged her not to go, Linda. I was quite happy for her to attend, if I remember rightly," put in Gordon, with a frown.

Mrs Marsters' expression suggested that her memory of events was quite different. "Well, Kristi was quite adamant that she needed to learn how to use her powers safely, so we finally allowed her to attend on the provision that she stayed away from this …….. whatever his name is."

"Wolverine," growled Logan, softly, his hackles rising.

Kristi pressed her hand against his thigh, comfortingly.

"Yes, that's it. Do you know him, Logan?" Mrs Marsters seemed to have forgotten her animosity towards the feral in her eagerness to learn about the school's resident killer.

"I know him very well, as a matter of fact." Logan skilfully ignored Jubilee's snicker.

"And what is he actually like?"

"Well, what can I say?" Logan bared his canines in a feral grin. "He's a bit of an animal …….."

**oooOOOooo**

In Kristi's opinion, the situation rapidly hit rock bottom and went steadily south from there. The only saving grace was that her mother seemed not to have picked up on Logan's hint to being the feral Wolverine, for which she was extremely grateful. She had been dreading to admitting Logan's true identity, but now, with her mother's hostility so obviously to the fore, she seriously doubted she would ever pluck up the courage to do so now. She knew it was bound to come out in the open sooner or later and, while she dreaded her mother's reaction if she found out the truth from a source other than her daughter, all she could hope was that Logan stayed on his best behaviour and convinced her mother that her first impressions had been in error before this happened.

So far, Logan had been a veritable saint, apart from his ultimatum in the kitchen and even that had been mild compared to what he was capable of. She could feel his fury and indignation simmering just below the surface and she knew he was holding it all back for her sake. Her gratitude knew no bounds and she realised she would never be able to repay him for the sacrifice he was making on her behalf.

Further complications arose when they were shown to their rooms. Kristi, of course, would be sleeping in her own room, a frilly creation of pink and lilac and so out of character for her that she blushed as Remy peeked inside. Jubilee had been allocated her own room next to Nikki - it had obviously been assumed that the two girls would become friends and would like to be near each other. But Remy and Logan had been roomed together at the opposite end of the house from Kristi's room and the young mutant wasn't slow to realise her mother's reasons for doing so. Neither could sneak out without disturbing the other and to make the journey down the hallway past the parents' room without treading on at least one creaky floor board would be virtually impossible. Kristi's mother had obviously decided there would be no late night rendezvous going on in her house, but she had reckoned without Logan's uncanny abilities. As accustomed as he now was to sleeping in her bed at night, Kristi doubted whether she would be allowed to sleep alone whether her mother desired it or not.

Logan, however, still looked unhappy with the sleeping arrangements and she could sense his distress as he dropped his bags on the bed nearest the window. Due to his feral nature, he hated sharing his territory with another male, but he smiled and slapped his team-mate companionably on the back when Remy joked about them making 'mighty fine room-mates, non?"

Once her parents had left them alone to unpack, Kristi wasn't surprised to hear a soft knock at her door which announced the arrival of Logan and Jubilee – Remy had presumably remained in his room to give them time to talk.

Kristi immediately sank down onto her bed, her head in her hands, desperately trying to hold back tears. "Oh god, Logan, I'm so sorry."

Logan moved quickly to her side, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her into his chest, where she sniffled, sadly. "Hey, darlin', it's alright. Don't cry on my account. I'm used to it."

"But she's being so mean." Kristi drew back slightly and swiped angrily at her teary eyes. "God, I should have known something like this would happen. I can never do right for doing wrong where my mother's concerned, Logan. And now she's singled you out for her little games too."

Logan shrugged. "I can handle it," he declared easily, and ambled off to investigate several more dance trophies arranged on top of the dresser. Kristi blew her nose on a tissue and then jumped as Jubilee threw herself down on the bed beside her.

"So, your family's rich, huh, Kristi?" The youngster's face was aglow with thinly disguised curiosity.

"Yeah." Kristi nodded, aware that Logan had turned from the dresser and was watching her intently. "My parents own a chain of jewellery stores across Ontario."

"Ooh, shinys!" Jubilee grinned and Kristi reached out to take her hand, patting it absently as she continued. "My brother, David, runs the one downtown. His girlfriend works there too. It was always intended that I would run a store too, when I got a bit older, but then I manifested and that idea went right out of the window. I didn't feel comfortable being around people, what with all the mutant hysteria going on, and I couldn't control my powers very well." She smiled, ruefully.

"Did you want to? Run a store, I mean?" asked Logan, leaning against the dresser and folding his arms.

"I don't know." Kristi pondered the question, briefly. "It would have been convenient, I suppose. Finish high school, go to college and come home to a ready made job. But once I heard about Xavier's, all I really wanted to do was become an X-Man."

"Dream accomplished!" grinned Jubilee, and she and Kristi high-fived each other.

The door suddenly burst open and a small blonde whirlwind hurtled into the room and flung itself at Kristi, squealing loudly. Logan waggled a finger in his ear to clear it.

"Kristi! You're home!" The youngster pushed herself back to give her sister the once over, squealing once more. "Ooh, you've grown your hair! I like it! And guess what? I've just seen your guy, Logan, coming along the hallway! He is _such_ a hottie! Lucky girl!"

An amused snort from Logan made her pull away and turn around, noticing Kristi's companions for the first time. "Oh! Hello."

"Everyone, this is Nikki, my sister, if you hadn't already guessed. Nikki, this is Jubilee. And _this_ …….." she indicated the feral " …….. is Logan."

"Eep!" Nikki backed off, raising her hands in supplication. "God, I've made such a fool of myself, haven't I? Maybe I ought to go out and start again?"

And to Logan's surprise, she backed out of the room and closed the door softly behind her.

Kristi grinned as a soft tap sounded on the door. "Come in," she called, cheerily.

Nikki entered once more and walked straight up to the startled feral. "Hello!" she declared, brightly, holding out her hand. "You must be Logan. Pleased to meet you."

Logan barked a laugh and took the girl's offered hand. "I like this girl!" he remarked, to no one in particular. "She's got sass."

Nikki grinned up at him, the similarities between herself and her older sister startlingly obvious. She had the same gentle brown eyes and sandy hair, but worn in a short spiky bob similar to Jubilee's. Her face held the same zest for life as her sister's, but also a hint of mischievous energy. Logan reckoned she could be something of a handful, much like Jubilee, but found himself already drawn towards liking the girl. It wasn't surprising – his feral nature often prompted him to be protective towards the younger generation, viewing 'cubs', especially the females, as a precious commodity in a world where mutant offspring were generally a rare occurrence. Failing to have children of his own – or any that he knew of anyway – Logan viewed them all as surrogate daughters.

"Sorry about the mix up." Nikki scuffed at the carpet with the toe of her sneaker, genuinely embarrassed. "I knew Kristi was bringing her beau along and when I saw the other guy I naturally assumed …….." She shrugged, apologetically. "And I'm sorry for calling you a hottie. Not that you're not. Because you are …….. just in a different way…….. oh help!"

"Perhaps you oughta quit while yer ahead, kid?" offered Logan, helpfully. "An' don't worry about the mistake. It's not the first time it's happened today."

Nikki frowned and Kristi jumped in. "Yeah, thanks for telling mom about Logan, Nikki. I thought I swore you to secrecy?"

"Well, you did, but …….. Oh god, what's happened?"

"Oh, nothing much, Nik. Mom just thinks Logan's too old for me and she hates him on sight."

"What, this hunka hotness? Surely not? He must be all of …….. ooh ……… say, two years older than you, at the most." She winked at him, conspiratorially, and Logan rumbled appreciatively in response.

"Oooh, what was that?" Intrigued, Nikki leaned in to his chest to listen and Logan took a startled step back, bumping into the dresser and rattling the trophies. Jubilee all but fell off the bed trying not to laugh at the sight of the usually stoic feral being backed into a corner by the fourteen year old. She had a feeling she and Kristi's sister were going to get along very well indeed.

"Do that again." Nikki poked the feral in the chest and Logan growled at her audacity.

Nikki squealed, obviously delighted with her discovery. "Kristi, your guy's growling at me!"

"Well, quit poking him and he'll stop." Kristi was enjoying the show – she knew Logan wouldn't hurt her sister, and the amusement and pleased acceptance he was transmitting through the bond was the first hint that he was at ease since they had arrived. Trust her sister to form an instant connection with the feral – and knowing Logan as well as she did, she seriously doubted that, once formed, it could ever be broken.

"This is great!" the youngster gushed. "He's like one of those big teddies with the growler inside!"

Jubilee fell back onto the bed, laughing so hard there were tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Alright, kid, that's enough." Logan grabbed Nikki's arm, turned her around and gave her a gentle push towards the bed. "Go sit with your sister."

"You're a mutant, aren't you?" Nikki ignored the hint and whirled to face him once more. "What can you do?"

Kristi sighed. "Oh, Nik, give it a rest, will you?"

Nikki was undeterred. "What can you do, Logan?" she persisted. "Walk through walls? Fly? Talk to animals?"

"I'll tell ya what I can do, Nik." Logan stalked forward until he was looming over the young girl, his size intimidating. She gasped in anticipation. "When night falls, I turn into a huge bear with a plastic growler an' I haunt annoyin' kids who persist in askin' fool questions."

Nikki groaned in disappointment and Kristi giggled at her sister's expense, right before the door bell rang. Everyone ignored it, until Mrs Marsters' voice floated up from below.

"Kristi, honey, can you get that? I've got my hands full."

She rose gracefully from the bed. "I'll just be a minute," she told everyone. "David's probably forgot his key again." She moved to the door and turned back. "You…….," she said, pointing at Nikki, " …….. leave the growly man alone. And you …….." pointing now at Logan, " …….. don't annoy the sister." She closed the door softly on their stunned faces, confident that peace would be kept until she returned. She was smiling as made her way downstairs and trotted towards the front door – Logan and her sister seemed to have hit it off straight away, which was a huge load off her mind. With at least one supporter in the house, maybe her mother would ease off on Logan a little – her father's support would help too, but the real influence would come from David. Her mother had a lot of respect for her only son and, if David expressed support for Logan, then her mother would surely follow suit. So there was a welcoming smile on her face as she opened the door – a smile that quickly slid away as the identity of the caller became clear.

"Oh my god ……."

"Hello, Kristi." Max Evans smiled, shyly, at her. "Long time no see ……."

**NEXT: **Linda's plan is unveiled ……. And Logan reveals all to Kristi's father.


	6. Secrets and Lies

Hello, everyone! I'm on a well deserved week's holiday from work this week - my first extended period of time off for the last five months! So naturally, I'm catching up on my writing and hoping to update each of my stories at least twice before I have to go back! So far, having a raging cold hasn't helped, but I'm feeling much better now and the ideas are flowing!

Speaking of ideas, I am currently working on a one-shot M rated Rogan, so if anyone is interested, click on Author Alert at the bottom of the page and you will receive a message when I upload it!

**Logan's Wolverettes: **That little button at the bottom of the page has been very busy again and it's time to thank my dedicated band of reviewers! **blyrtha, nileena, FrozenVoices, Sarra Ambrai, Kyryn1, Sniktchick **and **Laudine!**

And now - the story continues ........!

**ooXoo**

**6. Secrets and Lies**

"What you're doing is unnecessary and cruel, Linda." Gordon Marsters put down his carving knife and looked across the kitchen to his wife, who was busily loading vegetables into tureens. "Can't you see she's unhappy?"

"It's not cruel and it _is _necessary, Gordon," Mrs Marsters didn't look up from what she was doing, merely continuing with her meal preparations. "Kristi is young and silly. She has no idea what's good for her. I'm simply helping her to see that, before she makes a mistake she'll regret for the rest of her life."

"But bringing Max here will only make things worse, not better. Kristi doesn't love Max, she loves Logan." He sighed, running a tired hand across his eyes. "I'm a man, and even I can see that this isn't some foolish infatuation they have between them. She idolises him, Linda. And he …….. he's protective of her. They truly love each other, can't you see that?"

"Yes, I can, Gordon, and that's the problem." Mrs Marsters put down the lid she was holding and turned to her husband, pain evident in her eyes. "I'm not stupid. I can see the way they look at each other. But it's wrong, Gordon. He's too old for her. He has a hold over her that just isn't natural. And the sooner I can get her to see that, the better."

"I still don't think it's right for you to interfere. You're just asking for trouble. Have you any idea what Logan is capable of – what his mutant ability is? Because I've got no doubts whatsoever that he _is _a mutant. Is it wise to be upsetting such people, Linda? What if he takes exception to your efforts to split them up and rains death and destruction down on the family? Or worse, what if Kristi decides she no longer wants to associate with us and moves out permanently? Or …….."

"Do you know how old that man is, Gordon?" Mrs Marsters interrupted her husband's tirade and gestured angrily in the direction of the living room with her ladle. "Do you actually know? Because I do. He told me. He's over a hundred years old, Gordon!"

Mr Marsters' eyes widened in surprise. "He …….. he can't be! Are you sure he wasn't joking?"

His wife shook her head, vehemently. "He wasn't joking, Gordon. I don't think the man knows _how_ to joke. So now do you see why this is wrong?"

"All the same, Linda, I think …….." He broke off as his youngest daughter skipped brightly into the kitchen.

"Hey, anything I can do to hurry things along? We're all starving to death out there! David's chewing on the cushions!"

Mrs Marsters forced a brave smile. "Here you are, dear, you can carry this through to the dining room." She stepped back to allow her daughter access to the tureens. "And when you've done that you can help me with the plates."

"Okay, mom!"

Mrs Marsters waited until Nikki had left the kitchen, before picking up a tureen and making to follow her. "It will all turn out for the best," she said, as she passed her husband. "You mark my words."

**oooOOOooo**

Logan grunted as he felt Kristi's foot nudge his leg under the table, deliberately not raising his head to look at her, but knowing she was watching for his reaction over the rim of her wine glass. The little minx had been playing footsie with him throughout the meal, making him glad for the tablecloth which hid the tell-tale bulge in his pants from the impressionable fourteen year old sitting to his left. It had all started off innocently enough, with Kristi accidentally kicking his leg as she had settled into the seat opposite him, but it had soon progressed into a battle of wills when she had kicked off her sneaker to wiggle her bare toes against his leg. Logan, for his part, was allowing his arousal to transmit through the bond, resulting in the healthy pink glow tingeing his mate's cheeks. But now, with the meal over and polite conversation being made over freshly brewed coffee, Logan had decided it was time to play the girl at her own game.

Conjuring a technicolour image of his mate being bent naked and sweaty over that very table as he took her from behind, he pushed it down the bond and grinned as she spluttered into her wine and began to choke.

"Down the wrong hole, darlin'?" he asked, innocently, as Max, seated to her right, pounded her helpfully on the back.

Freed from the distraction of her foot for the time being, he allowed his attention to rove around the table, his gaze lingering for a moment on Max, as he poured a glass of water for the breathless Kristi. He actually felt sorry for the boy – he had obviously been invited for the evening by Mrs Marsters, with no idea of the volatile situation he had been entering. He had greeted Logan politely enough when introduced, but his eyes constantly sought out his former girlfriend and it didn't take a genius to figure out that he was still attracted to her. Quiet and dark, with smoky brown eyes that missed nothing, it was easy to see why any girl would be drawn to his brooding good looks – even Jubilee had sighed dreamily when introduced. A quick dig in the ribs from an adamantium elbow had forestalled any idea she entertained of sitting next to him at dinner. Logan doubted Max would make a move on Kristi now he knew she was spoken for, but he wasn't prepared to take chances with either Max's integrity of Mrs Marsters' ingenuity, and he had watched the young man like a hawk throughout the meal.

Where Max was dark and brooding, Kristi's brother, David, seated to the boy's right, was a marked contrast. Two years older than Kristi, he shared the family's typical fair colouring, and had an open, dry wit that Logan found refreshing after the closed minded attitude of his mother. He had dominated the evening's conversation, but not in an over-bearing way, skilfully including the three mutants in all topics and putting them at ease without ever once trying to pry or inquire about possible mutant abilities. He was easily likable and friendly, and Logan had to admire his carefree attitude.

As the evening wore down, and Mrs Marsters began to clear away the table with Nikki's help, Logan excused himself and ventured outside for a smoke. At the rear of the property was an area of covered decking complete with an assortment of chairs for sitting out in and Logan leaned against the railing there as he patted his pockets in search of his elusive matches and looked out over the immaculately kept gardens, lost now in the gloom of encroaching night but perfectly visible to his enhanced sight. A small fountain trickled musically into a pond somewhere to his left and rustlings in the undergrowth told him that the night's small predators were already on the hunt.

A soft footstep on the decking behind him alerted him to the presence of company just as he finally managed to light his cigar, but he didn't turn around, figuring that the only reason Gordon Marsters had followed him outside was because he had something to say and leaving him to do so in his own time. So, as Kristi's father stepped up to the railing beside him, he puffed vigorously on the cigar a couple of times to make sure it was well lit, before waving his hand in the air to put the match out and then flicking it away into the darkness.

Mr Marsters waited until the feral had exhaled a thick cloud of blue-grey smoke before handing him a bottle. "Thought you might like a beer."

"Thanks." Logan took the obvious peace offering and downed a full third of the bottle in one before resting it on the railing beside him. He took another calming pull from his cigar and waited for his companion to speak.

He didn't have to wait long.

"Logan, I …….. I'd like to apologise for my wife's behaviour today. She seems to be operating under some misguided comprehension that you …….. ah …….. that you're ………"

"Too old for Kristi?" Logan finished, helpfully. He flicked ash off the end of his cigar. "No need to apologise. T'ain't your fault."

"But she's wrong, Logan …….."

No, bub, she isn't." He shifted against the railing. "Did she tell you how old I am?"

Mr Marsters frowned. "Yes, but …….. but I assumed you were joking."

"I wasn't jokin'." The feral turned, favouring his companion with a level glance. "I was born somewhere in the late 1800's. Near as I can tell, I'm just over one hundred an' thirty years old."

"Jesus!" Kristi's father reeled back in shock. "But you …….. you don't look …….."

"A day over thirty five?" Logan snorted. "Yeah. A healing factor'll do that for ya."

"Christ, I'm in way over my head here." Mr Marsters groaned and rested his elbow on the railing, putting his head in his palm and scruffing his fingers through his hair, distractedly. "You know, when Kristi manifested these strange powers and then Xavier showed up offering her a place at a school for mutants, we figured our lives would change, but this …….." He shook his head and breathed out, slowly, calming himself. Logan watched him carefully, monitoring his scent for any sign of fear. So far, there was none – just confused acceptance. Kristi's father didn't seem the kind of man to go off half-cocked, but Logan knew what he had to do and with any sign of panic from the other man, he would put a stop to it immediately.

Mr Marsters eventually straightened and turned to study the feral with appraising eyes. The light flooding through the patio doors behind them threw the lines of his face into deep angles and dark shadows, making him suddenly seem something more than simply human.

He swallowed, nervously. "This is all very enlightening, Logan, but why are you telling me now?"

Logan took a drag of his cigar, exhaling the smoke slowly, cautiously. "Because there are things you should know about me an' Kristi. About our relationship. About my kind."

"Your kind? Mutants?"

"Ferals."

"Ferals? What …….. Christ, do I even want to know?"

"Kristi's too scared to tell ya all this herself. Her mother's reaction has shaken her badly. But I figure it's all gonna come out sooner or later, an' I'd rather ya hear it from me than from some outside source that'll make it all worse."

Mr Marsters frowned, suspiciously. "Go on."

Logan turned to put his back against the railing, hitching his foot up and propping it on the wood. "As I said, I'm a feral. I ain't gonna go into the details o' that right now – it's too involved an' not important anyway. What _is_ important is that when ferals mate, they mate for life. In my case, a very long time."

"Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like what you're trying to tell me ……..?"

Logan shrugged. "Some ferals live their entire lives an' never find their mates. The lucky ones are rare – barely more than a handful – but the attraction, when it comes, can't be denied. An unconscious connection forms between them and they become one – they become bondmates."

"Bondmates?" Mr Marsters stumbled over the unfamiliar word. "So you're telling me that you and Kristi …….?" He hesitated, suddenly realising what Logan had said. "Wait a minute. You said 'unconscious connection'? Are you telling me that you've …….. you've bonded with my daughter against her will?"

"Hell, no!" Logan straightened and turned to face the other man, willing him to believe him. "There has to be an attraction between the two before the bond will manifest. Kristi knew she loved me even before I accepted it myself."

Mr Marsters nodded, grudgingly. "Kristi always did know her own mind – has always reached right out and taken exactly what she wanted."

"Yeah, well, she got me." Logan stubbed out the remainder of his cigar on the railing and pocketed what was left for later. "What I'm tryin' to make ya understand, bub, is that no matter how much yer wife disapproves o' this match, there's nothin' you, me, yer wife, or Kristi can do about it. The bond is for life, like I said. It can only be broken by death. Fer good or bad, yer stuck with me."

Mr Marsters huffed a heavy breath, weighing up his choices, which were few, he had to admit. It was either accept the feral, or not. And, for the sake of his daughter, he knew which option he preferred. "You've given me a lot to think about, Logan," he began, slowly. "I can't say I understand most of it. But all I can say right now is that there could be worse people for a son-in-law out there ……."

Logan backed off a step, raising his hands. "Hey, now, wait a minute …….."

Gordon laughed, recognising the traditional sign of panic in the other man's eyes. "Relax, son! I was only joking!"

"Keep it that way," growled Logan in return, picking up his beer and taking a calming swallow of the dark liquid.

They stood in silence for a moment, listening to the soft fall of the fountain from the darkness. Mr Marsters' mind was a whirl of thoughts and jumbled emotions, not the least of which was why the feral had chosen to tell him all this after resolutely refusing to admit he was a mutant? Yes, he'd said he needed to know in case he found out from another source, but he had the distinct feeling that the feral was holding something back and eventually he plucked up the courage to ask.

Logan studied him for a long time before answering. "For Kristi," he grunted simply, and would say no more.

A companionable silence fell between them as Logan finished off his beer while lounging on the railing, but they both turned as the patio doors swooshed open behind them and Kristi stepped out onto the decking. Her gaze flicked back and forth between her mate and her father as she walked towards them, but she moved easily into Logan's one-armed embrace, feeling him press a kiss to the top of her head and inhale her scent.

She twisted in her mate's arms to meet her father's gaze. "Hey, dad," she breathed, softly. "He's told you."

It wasn't a question. She'd felt her mate's intent the moment her father had stepped out onto the decking with him. An initial surge of panic had almost sent her flying to his side to stop him, but common sense prevailed. Her father was a sensible man, she had told herself. He would understand. And while she didn't have the courage to tell him herself, she knew that Logan was the best choice for this. The bond was feral in nature – it was only fitting that he be the one to break the news.

Mr Marsters nodded now, wordlessly, and Logan released Kristi, stepping back. "I'll leave you two to talk," he grunted, and disappeared into the house.

Kristi took her mate's place at the railing, waiting for her father's acceptance or denial. Either way, it didn't matter. She and Logan were a bonded pair – there was nothing anyone could do about it – but she hadn't realised until that moment just how much she craved her father's approval.

Mr Marsters finally sighed deeply, reaching out to take his daughter's hand in his. "I can't honestly say I'm pleased with this situation, Kristi," he began slowly, painfully aware of his daughter's sharp intake of breath. "Your mother and I hoped to have far more input in your choice of future husband than this. But I guess I should have realised that everything would change the moment you manifested. We're on uncharted territory, Kristi, and every step brings us something new and challenging."

"You're not angry?" she asked, her eyes searching his, anxiously.

"I'm not angry, Kristi," he confirmed, with a shake of his head. "Anxious, maybe, and a little scared. This is all terribly new to me."

"I was scared too, when the bond first manifested," Kristi admitted, softly. "But I can feel how much Logan loves me through the bond, and he keeps me safe."

"You both talk in riddles to me, did you know that? Bondmates, ferals, this …….. this 'feeling' him through the bond you speak of. My mind is whirling with it all." He pulled his daughter into a gentle hug, which she returned, eagerly. "I don't claim to understand any of it, honey, but you'll help me, won't you? You and Logan, I mean?"

"Yes, dad, we will." She hugged him tightly for a moment or two and then stepped back, her face clouded. "Should we tell mom?"

Her father considered this. "No, I think we should leave it for a while," he declared, shortly. "I think the shock of Logan being older than you has been enough for one day. Maybe when she's seen you two together and got to know him a bit better, she'll snap out of it? Then we'll tell her."

Kristi smiled. "Okay, dad."

"And don't tell Nikki or David either. Nikki can't keep a secret to save her life, and I'd like David to form his own opinions based on what he sees."

Kristi nodded. This was exactly what she'd hoped concerning her brother, but there was one more thing she needed to say. "We never meant for all this to happen, dad. Logan and I came here to tell you everything and not hold anything back. We were going to sit down with you all and discuss it like one big family. I thought you and mom would be happy for us …….."

"Oh, sweetheart, we are happy for you, but it's just come as a bit of a shock to your mom, that's all." He pulled his daughter back into the hug and kissed the top of her head. "You've got to understand that we're simple folk, not used to dealing with mutants, and strange powers and bonds. It's like stepping into a whole new world for us. Your mom is just a bit overwhelmed, that all. But she'll come around, when she gets used to the idea. You'll see."

"Thanks, dad." Kristi stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. "I'd better get back to the others now, before Jubilee and Nikki come up with some wicked ruse or other."

She made to move away, but her father caught her hand. She looked back at him, inquiringly.

"Kristi, before you go, will you make me a promise?"

"If I can, dad."

"You say you've not …….. that you've not had sex with Logan yet? Will you promise me that you will refrain from doing so until he puts a wedding ring on your finger?"

"Dad, I …….."

"Please, Kristi?" He clutched at her hand, desperately. "I know you're bonded to him and he probably ……… he probably thinks you're his now, but think of your mother, Kristi. Of our beliefs. Let me at least have something that will appease your mother and calm her mind. Please, Kristi. Don't let him into your bed until he's walked you down the aisle."

Kristi bit her lip, anxiously. How could she make such a promise? Didn't her father know what he was asking of her? Of Logan? He just didn't understand that things were different between ferals and their mates. They weren't tied by the same moral beliefs as embraced by normal humans. Their very existence depended on them not being.

But she would never be able to make her father understand that. Not until he had lived and worked alongside a feral and come to know and understand how they perceived the world around them. There was no time for that – and no opportunity. Her father needed the promise now – needed the assurance that his daughter wouldn't offer up her virginity on a whim.

And so she ducked her head as she replied, hoping he wouldn't see the sorrow in her eyes. "I promise, dad."

"Thank you, sweetheart." Her father pressed a kiss to her forehead and let her go. "You'd better get back. Tell your mother to break out that bottle of bubbly in the fridge. Give me a minute, and I'll be in."

"Okay."

Kristi's heart was heavy as she made her way back inside.

She'd made the promise.

Now she just had to live with it.

**NEXT: **Sexual tension causes trouble for Logan and Kristi!


	7. The Feral Becomes Him

Hey everyone! So sorry for the later than normal upload, but my head has been elsewhere just lately, resulting in a mild case of writer's block! Hopefully, everything's back on track now!

**Logan's Wolverettes: **Many thanks, as always, to my faithful reviewers! **Frozen Voices, nileena, Sarra Ambrai, Laudine, Sniktchick **and **blyrtha!**

And now, on with the show ....... !

**ooXoo**

**7. The Feral Becomes Him**

"How're you feelin', mon ami?" Gambit unzipped his duffle and rooted around inside for his washbag, keeping one curious eye on his feral companion. "Not exactly de best o' days for you, eh?"

"I've had better." Logan turned away from the window where he'd been staring moodily out into the darkness and huffed a sigh. "I tell ya, Gumbo, if not fer Kristi, I'da been hightailin' it outta here so fast yer head would spin."

"Ah, de course o' true love, my friend." Remy clutched a hand to his heart dramatically. "O' course, Remy have to beat a hasty retreat from a lover on many an occasion. Dey sad to see Remy go, but de parents, dey sometimes not understand, oui?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively at the feral.

Logan snorted. "Quit it, Gumbo, this ain't no laughin' matter." He cracked open the window and leaned against the sill, letting the night air surround and soothe him. He wasn't a sensitive man by any stretch of the imagination, but his less than perfect encounter with Kristi's parents had rattled his nerves more than he would care to admit to. Ever the realist, he had suspected that the meeting couldn't occur without some sort of hitch, but even he had been unprepared for Kristi's mother's level of animosity towards him. He had overheard most of her speech in the kitchen, including her statement that she wasn't happy to have him in her home, and that saddened him greatly – for Kristi's sake more than his own. He knew he couldn't live up to most parents' ideals of the man they would like their daughter to bring home – he was a rough ill-mannered brawler who smoked too much and drank even more. He was painfully aware that his best qualities were deeply hidden – even he had problems finding them occasionally and even worse trouble remembering that they were there at all. But his heart was in the right place and he truly loved Kristi, and he had hoped her parents would recognise that and reserve final judgement until they had come to know him better. It seemed that some prejudice went deeper than simply hating a person because they were a mutant.

He huffed crossly and folded his arms, unconsciously glaring at Gambit, who was calmly unpacking his duffle and laying everything out on the bed. God, he really needed a smoke right now, but he had made a personal vow never to indulge in someone else's home unless he had been invited and, as the invitation had not been forthcoming, he had no intention of lighting up and causing further unrest. He briefly considered slipping downstairs and out of the back door – moving quietly and not disturbing the family, who had retired for the night, would be no trouble for him at all. But the way his luck was holding out, he would probably be caught trying to sneak back in and he had no desire to spend half the night explaining where he had been and why to an annoyed and obviously out-for-his-blood female. The situation was ripe for misunderstandings.

Hardly realising that his knuckles were itching with the effort of keeping his claws contained, he allowed an irritable growl to vibrate around his chest. Gambit glanced up from his unpacking.

"Dat de Wolverine I hear in dere, mon ami? He restless, non?"

"Christ, Cajun, ya'd better not let the Marsters hear ya call me that." Logan pushed away from the window sill and stalked across the space between it and his bed, reaching out for his bags. "Would it kill ya ta call me Logan fer once?"

Gambit spread his arms in an easy shrug. "Remy call ya as he sees fit, mon ami. An' right now, you is more de Wolverine dan de man."

"Yeah, an' ain't that a kick in the head." Logan tossed his bag aside in disgust and lowered himself down to sit on the edge of the bed. "I need ta keep control, Remy, now more than any other time, but this whole set up is makin' me crazy. I can feel Kristi's agitation through the bond and, added to my own, it's enough ta make me wanna howl."

Remy grinned at mention of Kristi's name. "What you need is to spend some time wit' your beau, mon ami." He flicked his eyes towards the door. "Go to her. Makin' love to your woman is sure to calm the beast."

Logan's eyes narrowed. "What the hell did ya jus' say, Gumbo?"

"Remy jus' sayin' dat hearin' your lover whisper your name as she writhes beneath you is de perfect cure for all ills, but Remy sure he don' need to remind you o' dat. De Wolverine, he don' let the grass grow beneath his feet, non?" He broke off abruptly, as Logan began to growl, the feral's hands tightening into fists. "What's wrong, mon ami? What are you ……? Oh, merde …… You and Kristi haven't ……. have you?"

Logan moved so quickly that Remy never even saw him coming. One second he was standing beside his bed, the next he was lying beside it on his back, blood oozing from a split lip.

Logan stood over him, fists clenched, an angry growl rumbling deep in his chest. For one brief moment, it looked as though he was about to unsheathe his claws and deal out more pain, and Remy slowly began to reach for the cards he always kept somewhere about his person. He didn't want to hurt his team-mate, but he would defend himself if he had to.

The feral's body shook with the effort of keeping his emotions in check, his lips curling back in a tight snarl and exposing his canines. And then he turned abruptly with a growl and stalked from the room, slamming the door behind him.

Remy swiped a hand across his lip, wiping away the blood. "Well, you coulda jus' said no, mon ami …….."

**oooOOOooo**

Kristi jumped as her bedroom door banged open, swinging back and almost hitting the wall behind. Logan stalked across the threshold, putting out a hand to catch the door before it hit the wall.

"Geez, Logan, you gave me a fright! I didn't sense you coming." Kristi turned from checking the contents of her wardrobe, smiling as she clutched a hand to her heart, but the feral's face was dark and she knew instantly that something was wrong. "Logan? Are you okay?"

Logan closed the door behind him, hesitating a moment as though reminding himself why he was there. When he threw the lock and turned back to his mate, Kristi took an involuntary step back, startled by the fire in his eyes.

"Logan ……..?"

He was on her in seconds, his arms encircling her like a warm muscular cage, his lips crashing down onto hers with an intensity that took her breath away. She whimpered softly into his mouth, her knees all but giving way as his tongue forced its way between her lips to plunder her sweetness.

She moaned as he abandoned her mouth to nip sharply at the delicate flesh of her ear, his tongue darting out to soothe the bite before the pain could even register. His body shook as he dipped lower to ravage her neck with desperate nips and soothing kisses and she found herself tilting her head back to give him greater access, her eyes sliding closed in blissful ecstasy. "Oh, Logan …….."

"Don't speak," he mumbled against her skin, the warmth of his lips making her gasp, breathlessly. He drifted down to nuzzle into the crook of her neck. "God, I want you, Kris ……. need you so bad …….."

In a startling flash of clarity, Kristi suddenly realised her mate's intent – the emotions coming to her through the bond all too clear in their purpose to be mistaken for anything else. Slightly panicked, she pushed against his chest, forcing him back and making him look at her. "Logan, no. We can't do this ……"

Her mate's eyes were almost fully feral and she wished, not for the first time, that she had the ability to initiate their link so that she could help him control the beast. Instead, she flooded the bond with as much refusal as she could muster, while still projecting her assurances of love so as not to anger the lust blinded feral.

Logan's grip on her shoulders was almost painfully tight as he bared his canines in a snarl. "The hell ya doin', Kris?" His voice was rough, betraying the presence of the beast prowling just below the surface of his psyche.

Kristi took a calming breath and reached up to cup his cheek, her heart almost breaking when he nuzzled into it with a possessive growl. "I know what you've come here for, Logan, but I …….. I can't ……… I can't make love to you ……… Not here …….. not now."

Logan's eyes narrowed. "You're my mate," he growled as if this was answer enough. And to him, it was. With his feral side to the fore, he could see no wrong in what he was trying to do. Kristi was his female and his to mate with when he so desired. Every instinct he possessed was screaming at him to claim her – to finally make her his in every sense of the word. Yet, even as he tried to pull her back into his embrace, Kristi could sense that he was still fighting himself – still trying to control the beast. If he truly wanted to take her, his superior strength would have made it impossible for her to resist him. She would never have been able to push him back so easily. "Logan, please …….. This isn't the time ……."

He growled then, a deep rumbling sound that vibrated throughout his entire body and made her shiver with the intensity of it. She could sense his ongoing battle and she willed the man to be strong, for both their sakes.

"You will not defy me," he rasped and his voice was hard and cruel – the beast was gaining the upper hand. "You are mine – mine to claim and I will not be denied ……"

She cried out then as he released her shoulders only to grab her wrist in a vice-like grip, and fear flowed over her – true fear of her mate for the first time since they had bonded. He was fury and fire – nature personified – and with his feral side to the fore his whole body exuded sexual dominance.

Pulling her to him roughly, he buried his nose in her hair and inhaled deeply, oblivious to her whimpers and her efforts to wring her wrist from his grasp. His free hand alighted on her waist and rose steadily higher, nudging under the hem of her top and caressing bare skin. She moaned softly, involuntarily reacting to the combined stimuli coming through the bond and the heated touch of his fingers, and he growled lustily into her hair.

"Logan ……. please ………" Despite her fear, she didn't know whether she was begging him to stop or to continue. Her body felt hot and cold all at the same time and her heart pounded frantically against her ribs, as if seeking to escape the confines of her chest. Her mate's hand was rough as it cupped her breast.

"No ………" she whispered.

His whole body suddenly stiffened, his breath coming in short agonised gasps. With a grunt, he released her and pulled back so abruptly that she staggered and almost fell, catching herself just in time to see him turn his back to her, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. Kristi gasped as he whimpered as though in pain and a tremor passed visibly through his body.

"Logan?" Kristi stepped towards her mate, oblivious to the fact that only seconds ago she had been pushing him away. He was in pain – she couldn't ignore that. "Are you alright?"

"Kris, I ………" His voice was still rough, but already showed more control. He ran a hand through his hair. "I …….. I'm sorry …….."

And he strode abruptly from the room, pushing back the door and leaving it open.

Kristi ran into the hallway, but he had already disappeared downstairs, and the sound of the front door opening and closing told her he had taken off into the night. She sent a questing pulse through the bond, but his shields were shut down tight and he refused to respond – his mind and emotions were firmly cut off to her. Confused and more than a little frightened, she closed the door and walked to the bed, where she crawled under the covers – still fully dressed – and buried her face in the pillow. Released of her mate's overpowering influence, the full import of what had just happened came crashing down on her and she began to cry – heaving huge wracking sobs that shook her body and made her throat burn. Her mate had wanted her right there and then – she could still feel the afterglow of his desire in her mind – and she had almost given in to his need. And here her heart jolted in fearful recognition – because if her mate's strength of will and need for her could over-rule her own desires and sense of right and wrong, what hope did she have of resisting him in the future? What hope did she have of keeping the promise to her father?

A promise she knew she shouldn't have made in the first place.

Wracked with guilt and sorrow – scared and alone – Kristi cried herself to sleep ……..

…….. And when the nightmare struck in the middle of the night and her children cried out for their parents, there was only Kristi to witness their demise ……..

**oooOOOooo**

The house looked silent as Logan approached, but his keen hearing could already pick up the sounds of movement from within as the occupants made ready to greet another day. Logan grunted to himself at the realisation that he'd greeted it hours ago while saner people were still tucked up in their beds.

The front door opened as he drew near and David appeared, smiling warmly as he noticed the other man trotting up the driveway. "Hey, Logan. You're up early."

"Yeah." Logan didn't see any reason to tell the boy he'd just pulled an all-nighter. "Couldn't sleep."

"It's probably the strange surroundings," offered David, helpfully. "I'm the same when I try to sleep in a strange bed. I'm actually quite useless for the first couple of days when I'm away on holiday." He grinned good-naturedly and began to walk towards a vehicle parked beside Kristi's Mustang.

"Nice car," remarked Logan, admiring the sleek lines of the Dodge Viper, appreciatively.

"Thanks." David patted the glossy blue paintwork, fondly. White go-faster stripes gave the car a sporty edge. "I've always wanted one of these. Had to make a few sacrifices along the way, but it was worth it, I think. I finally fulfilled the dream. What car do you drive, Logan?"

"I have a jeep," admitted the feral, ruefully. "But I'm more a bike man, myself."

"Really? What kind?"

"Harley." Logan found it easy to talk to the young man with his carefree open attitude. "Gotta Softail at the moment. But I've had a couple o' Panheads in the past. A Norton too."

"Nice bikes." David nodded and opened his car door. "'Course, I don't know one end of a bike from the other, but I know quality when I see it. Anyway, sorry to dash off, but I oughta get going. I've got an hour's run into work this morning."

"Sure. Don't let me hold ya back." Logan stepped aside as David got into the car and started the engine. The young man waved out of the open window as he pulled out of his parking spot and idled down the driveway, the radio already warbling out an old Bryan Ferry classic.

Logan watched until the car turned out onto the roadway and disappeared from view, then turned and let himself into the house and made his way softly upstairs, pausing at the door to Kristi's room. He knew he should speak to her – at least try to make her understand why he had done what he had. However, he had no intention of making excuses for his actions. Claiming his mate for the first time was as natural an idea to him as breathing and he could no more deny his feral nature than Kristi could deny being female. But what he did regret was the fact that he had scared her – he had sensed her fear after seizing her wrist and moving closer – and it was this, more than anything else, that had brought him back to his senses.

She had cried for hours – he had sensed that through the bond – but after taking off into the night he had avoided returning to her so soon. He had needed time to collect his thoughts – to come to terms with her reasons for refusing him, for refusing her mate. The man understood and sympathised. The beast did not.

The voice that answered his soft tap at the door was quiet yet sure, and he opened it to find her standing at the dresser with a hairbrush in her hand. Her hair was hanging loose about her shoulders in untidy curls, evidence that she'd recently dried it after taking a morning shower.

Logan closed the door softly behind him and advanced several paces into the room. Kristi watched him, caution in her eyes. "I …….. uh …….." he began, unsure of her reaction. The bond was providing him with no clues whatsoever. "I ……… think we should talk."

Kristi nodded and put down the brush, leaning against the dresser with her arms folded. "I agree. I've been doing some thinking."

"You too, huh?" Logan moved to her side and picked up the brush, fingering the soft wooden handle. He could sense his mate's uncertainty now and he ached to reassure her – to let her know that nothing had changed between them and that he would never knowingly hurt her – but there were one or two things he needed to get off his chest first. "Kris, I ……… I wanted to say I'm sorry for scarin' ya last night. I lost control. That was wrong."

Kristi nodded slowly, and Logan reached out to take her hand. "I can't change what I am, Kris – what I feel. Ya know I'm feral, an' ferals usually take what they want when they want it, no questions asked. We're not used to actin' pretty an' sayin' please. But I try to keep the man in control most o' the time, Kris, even when the beast within me threatens to take me over, an' it's an uphill struggle. I don't always win. But you're my mate, an' the beast recognises that. Its instinct is to possess you fully – to mate with you an' ultimately mark you as his – an' that instinct is more than I can control. It's buried within me so deep that I can't fight it, Kris, an' the beast will not rest until you're his - mine – completely."

"But I _am_ yours, Logan," protested Kristi, with a confused frown. "Surely there can't be more than that?"

Logan shook his head. "I need to mate with you, Kris. The instinct is so strong it's almost killin' me. An' god help me, I'm fightin' it, because I understand you're not ready for me yet an' I don't want to take ya by force. I'll do all I can to respect yer wishes, but you need to know that there'll come a day when I won't be able to control it no more an' I _will_ have you then, Kristi. Whether yer ready fer me or not. The bond will be flooded with so much want an' need that you won't be able to resist it – or me."

Kristi shivered then, knowing his words to be true. She had already felt the effects of his lust the previous evening and she knew, when the time came, that she would be like putty in his hands, no more able to resist his desire than a dust mote borne on the wind. The thought filled her with a strange kind of longing – part of her yearned to be taken so completely by her lusty feral, yet the saner part of her mind recoiled in horror at the image, determined to protect her from her baser instincts and shield her from harm at all costs. The promise she had made to her father rose, unbidden, to her mind and, once again, she wished she had never made it, knowing it would only come back time and again to haunt her. She had intended telling Logan of it when he returned, but now, in the light of what he had just revealed to her, she knew she couldn't, in all honesty, add to the already substantial burden he had to bear. He had already promised to respect her wishes and, if push came to shove and his feral instincts over-powered his reason and forced him to take her, no amount of promises would enable her to resist him anyway.

Come what may, her future was in the hands of her mate now. His control – or lack of it – would determine her fate.

She squeezed his hand with hers. "I understand, Logan. And I'm grateful to you for being so understanding. This can't be easy for you. Heaven knows you're under a lot of pressure from my mother …….."

Logan held up his hand, the one holding the brush, as if to fend off evil. "Not a word, Kris. I know she's yer mother, but if ya go any further I'm liable to say somethin' I'll regret later."

Kristi grinned, recognising that she and her mate were back on level ground once more. "Not a word, I promise." She reached for the brush. "Can I?"

Logan looked down at the item in his hand, an idea forming. "Want me to brush yer hair for ya, Kris?"

If Kristi was taken aback by the suggestion, she didn't show it. "Okay." She looked around her room. "Where do you want me?"

Her mate raised a suggestive eyebrow. "Christ, what a question. On the bed? In the shower? Against the wall? You take yer pick, I ain't fussy."

Kristi slapped his arm with a mock gasp of corrupted innocence and Logan shrugged. "I can't help it, Kris, ya turn me on somethin' fierce. Besides, I said I would respect yer wishes an' hold back until yer ready, I said nothin' about makin' suggestions."

The young girl blushed and Logan saved her any further embarrassment by striding to the bed and sitting down. He indicated the floor at his feet. "C'mere."

Kristi obediently settled between his knees and Logan began to brush her hair, allowing the repetitive action to soothe him and re-affirm the connection between them. The bond pulsed gently between them, calming ruffled nerves and filling them both with a sense of completeness and belonging, and Logan allowed a soft purr to rumble around his chest, demonstrating his love for his mate with its tender reassurance. Kristi sighed and tilted her head back, lulled by the rhythmic motion of the brush in her hair and the almost hypnotic vibration of his purr.

A soft tap at the door broke the spell only seconds before it began to open. "Hey in there, I hope you're decent, 'cause I'm coming in!"

Nikki poked her head around the door, her face lighting up at the sight of Logan. "Ooh, it's the growly man! Hi there!"

"Hey, Nikki." Logan waved the brush at his mate's younger sister.

"Gettin' all lovey with the sis, huh? Good for you! Anyway, just thought I'd let you know I'm off to school now, Kris, but I'm planning something real cool for tonight. Gotta check it out with a couple of mates first, but I'll fill you in with the details when I get back. Okay? Bye then!"

"Nikki, wait, what are you talking about?" But Nikki ducked back out into the hallway, leaving Kristi staring at the closed door in annoyance. "Blast it!"

"Any idea what she's planning?" Logan handed her the brush and eyed his mate, suspiciously.

"None whatsoever." Kristi chewed at her lower lip for a moment. "Knowing Nikki, she's capable of anything – she's very much like Jubilee in that regard – but I'm sure she wouldn't do anything stupid ….. or dangerous."

"Like Jubilee, huh?" Logan raised an eyebrow. "You do realise we're screwed, right?"

"That's not fair, Logan. Jubilee has never done anything _really_ dangerous. She's just a bit impetuous at times, that's all."

"We're talking about Jubilee, right? The girl who once activated the Sentinel programme all alone in the Danger Room an' then panicked an' blew half the room to kingdom come when she couldn't turn it off?"

Kristi considered this a moment, then nodded. "You're right. I'll speak to dad straight away and let him know trouble's brewing."

"On second thoughts, maybe ya oughta let it happen. At the very least, it could distract yer mother." Logan stood and stretched, giving Kristi a perfect view of his deeply muscled chest and bulging biceps. "I gotta go, Kris. Jus' remembered I oughta apologise to the Cajun."

"Why?" asked Kristi, as her mate stalked to the door. "Have you had words?"

"Somethin' like that." Logan put his hand on the door handle and turned to face her. "Don't take this the wrong way, Kris, but I bust his lip last night."

"You did what? How? Why?" She waved her hand, dismissively. "No, don't tell me! I don't want to know. Go! Make your apologies, Logan. I just hope he doesn't bear a grudge."

"So do I." Logan grinned, ruefully. "Those cards o' his can be a royal pain in the ass. Literally."

"Just play nice," she called after him as he disappeared out of the door. A disgruntled snort came back to her right before it closed.

Getting to her feet, Kristi dropped back onto the bed with a heartfelt sigh. Not even a full day into their visit and already her mother had declared an undying hatred for her mate, Nikki was planning something that would probably get them all arrested and two members of the X-Men had come to blows. What was it about visiting parents that put everyone on edge?

After two weeks, it would be a miracle if everyone returned home completely sane and in one piece.

Suddenly, facing both Sabretooth and Magneto alone and with no powers whatsoever didn't seem so bad after all ……….

**NEXT: **Wolverines and night clubs definitely do not mix!


	8. Black Tie and Dinner Jacket

Hey everyone! First of all, please let me say that I am so very VERY sorry for leaving you so long without an update! I have had a major case of writer's block and it's been hell to get rid of! Hopefully, I have succeeded and the following chapter won't be a disappointment!

**Logan's Wolverettes: **I really don't deserve you, y'know! You're all too good to me - major kudos to **bluedragon1836 **- ( yes, I know it takes three reviews to be a Wolverette, but you've reviewed some of my other stuff so I'm promoting you instantly! ) - **Sarra Ambrai, Frozen Voices, MidLifeCrisis, Laudine **and **Sniktchick!**

And now, on with the story - the taxi to the nightclub is waiting ... !

**ooXoo**

**8. Black Tie and Dinner Jacket**

"You have got to be kiddin' me!"

Logan treated his mate to a horrified stare before glancing left and right to her sister and a giggling Jubilee. He raised a hand defensively, as if to ward them off. "No. I ain't going. Not in a million years."

"Aw, come on, spoilsport, it'll be fun!" Jubilee expertly fielded her partner's disbelieving glare. "You remember fun, don't you? I'm sure you've had some at least once in the crazy whirlwind you call a life."

"Jubilee …….." Logan growled warningly, but Kristi stepped in before things got out of hand.

"Come on, Logan, it's not as though we're asking you to do something awful. It's just a nightclub, for goodness sake. You could kick back a bit – you know, let your hair down and have a few drinks." She was losing him, she could tell. "You might enjoy it," she added, lamely.

"I never thought I'd see the day when you'd turn down the chance to drink yourself under the table," put in Jubilee, folding her arms and regarding her partner intently. "Are you ill?"

Logan growled and Nikki squealed in delight at the feral sound. "I enjoy a beer, Jubilee. In a _bar._ Not in a jumped-up nightspot that is full o' fancy talkin' rich types with nothin' to do but spend money. Ain't my idea of a good night out." He jabbed a finger at her as a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Besides, what kind o' nightclub allows entrance to under-age kids, eh?"

"Well, that's because it's a special kind of nightclub," responded the young firecracker, completely unabashed. "It's called Etoile Noir. Nikki's told me all about it. It sounds great."

Logan turned immediately to his mate's younger sister and she shrank back under his intense steely blue gaze. Not many people could stand their ground and look the feral in the eye when he was riled up about something. Nikki had just discovered she wasn't one of them.

"Special," he stated, flatly. "Define 'special'."

"Well, it's …….. um …….." Nikki broke off, turning in desperation to her elder sister. "Help!"

"It's a place where school and college kids hang out," said Kristi defensively, taking the bull by the horns and doing her best to ignore her mate's upraised eyebrow. "A bit like The Bronze in Buffy. You remember that, don't you, Jubilee?"

"Cool!" retorted the firecracker, obvious glee evident in her eyes.

Logan threw his hands up in disgust. "Oh, this just gets better an' better," he snorted, crossly. "Yer tellin' me this place is gonna be full o' damn kids? No, Kristi, I ain't going, an' that's final."

"Logan, don't be such a party pooper." Kristi put on her best puppy-dog expression and batted her eyelashes. "You're not going to let me go all alone, are you?" she challenged, appealing to her mate's sense of chivalry.

It appeared Logan didn't have one. "Yes," he snapped back, folding his arms, decisively. "I am not spendin' an entire evenin' in the company of a bunch o' flamin' kids, Kristi. I'd sooner face the Brood."

"Who are they?" asked Nikki, latching on to the unfamiliar term instantly. "A new rock group?"

"Never you mind." Logan tossed the youngster a glare and unfolded his arms to fend off her sister, who was attempting to nuzzle into his side. "It won't work, Kristi. I said no, an' I mean it."

"Not even for little ol' me?" Kristi stood on tiptoe to bite her mate's neck, while simultaneously flooding the bond with every iota of need and coercion she could muster. It was a low blow and she knew it, but she desperately wanted Logan to accompany her to the club. After setting up the evening out, Nikki had informed her that several of her old school friends would be there and she wanted to show the handsome feral off. It wasn't a very grown-up or X-Manly thing to do, but she was a girl first and foremost and she was still a slave to girly notions.

Logan began to rumble in his chest as she nipped his skin delicately with her teeth, and his arms came up to encircle her. Beside her, Jubilee giggled and covered Nikki's eyes with her hand.

As if suddenly coming to his senses and realising that his mate was trying to dupe him, Logan abruptly pushed her away from him, his expression dark. "I said, no, Kristi."

His point made, he turned and stomped down the hallway to his room, closing the door behind him with a decisive click. He closed his eyes and leaned back against it as a resigned sigh puffed past his lips.

Gambit looked up from his seat on the bed, where he was choosing between two shirts. "So, what're you wearin' to dis little shindig, mon ami?"

Logan opened his eyes with a grunt and a non-committal shrug of his shoulders. "Jeans an' leather jacket. What else?"

**oooOOOooo**

Kristi checked her watch for what felt like the hundredth time in the last fifteen minutes. "Where are they?" she fretted. "Shouldn't they be here by now?"

Jubilee, seated beside her, snorted in a manner most unladylike and tossed her a glance, one foot waving delicately in the air to the beat of the music drifting across the club. "Chill, dude! They'll be here soon. Stop worrying."

"Where Logan's concerned, I always worry," Kristi responded, glancing once more towards the club's entrance but, as she had expected, there was no sign of her mate or his two partners-in-crime. She turned back to her sister, who was sipping delicately from a tall glass of Coke and ice and doing her best to attract the attention of a teenaged lad who was standing nearby. "Tell me again, what did David say to you before they disappeared?"

Nikki sighed and put down her drink. "For the fifth and final time, Kristi, David said that he and your guy were gonna run a couple of errands and meet us here at the club later. They took your yummy friend with them."

"But what kind of errands?" asked Kristi, anxiously. "What could they possibly need to do before a night out?"

Nikki shrugged, unconcerned, and returned to her perusal of the young male party-goer. Unconvinced, Kristi turned to Jubilee, but she was lost in her enjoyment of the music pulsing out across the club and didn't seem to be worried in the slightest about the whereabouts of her team-mate. Kristi wondered how she could relax so – Logan had a penchant for attracting trouble like a magnet. Even the most innocent of trips to the local store to buy a pack of matches could turn into the biggest brawl this side of a major shake-down by the Brotherhood. She often wondered if attracting trouble was another aspect of his mutant ability that no one had previously suspected.

Taking a calming breath, Kristi allowed her mind to tune into the bond, searching for any clue as to her mate's whereabouts, but he seemed calm and strangely pleased with himself. Wherever he was, he was in no immediate danger.

"Watch out! Here comes trouble." Nikki pointed abruptly across the dance floor, drawing her sister's immediate attention. Weaving between the gyrating dancers and heading unerringly in their direction was Max, with three girls in tow. Kristi recognised them immediately and felt her heart sink into her shoes. The tall leggy blonde was his current girlfriend, Saskia, and there was no love lost between the two girls. She had been more than ready to snap Max up on the rebound after Kristi had broken off their relationship and had lost no time in crowing about her victory whenever possible, doing her level best to make Kristi look foolish and inadequate. Saskia was pretty and popular with both other girls and the guys and Kristi hadn't needed the girl's help in order to feel exactly the way the other had intended.

Following along behind were Saskia's younger sister, Keisha, and her best friend, Dawn. All three were dressed to kill, with immaculate make-up and tottering heels. Looking down at her own knee length black dress and strappy sandals, Kristi was glad she had made the effort to put on something nice. The treat was for Logan's benefit – when he finally turned up – but her efforts would not be lost on Max and his friends.

Saskia's face broke into a noticeably fake smile as she drew level with their table. "Kristi! Max told me you were back. We thought you'd gone for good." Her tone suggested that she'd 'hoped' Kristi had gone for good.

Kristi showed her teeth in what she prayed was a smile and not a grimace. "It's only for a week or two, unfortunately, but we've all been good so they decided to give us some time off."

"Time off? What from?" Keisha pulled out a chair uninvited and plonked herself down next to Jubilee. "Don't tell me you've got a job, Kristi? Your mom told us you'd been taken in at a special school."

"Yeah, we thought you'd entered a second childhood, or something," added Dawn.

Kristi bristled at the implication. "It is a school, but I'm not a student," she defended, aware that she'd just dug herself into a very big hole and doing her best to climb out of it. "Well, I am in a way, but …….."

"Are these guys giving you trouble?"

A new voice emanating from behind and slightly above her made Kristi jump, and she twisted in her seat to confront the two newcomers. Her face lit up with a wide grin. "Sarah! Zoe! Oh my god, it's so good to see you!"

She sprang from her chair, pulling the two girls into a bear hug, all three squealing with excitement as they renewed their friendship. Jubilee and Nikki looked on in amusement as Max and his entourage feigned disinterest.

Kristi finally relaxed her death grip sufficient to allow Sarah to draw breath. "You look great, Kris! And you've grown your hair. It suits you."

"Thanks." Kristi snagged two spare seats for her friends and pulled them up to the table. "I've missed all our usual gossip, Sare. You've just got to fill me in."

"Not much to tell." Sarah tossed Saskia an annoyed glance before turning back to her friend – Max's party seemed to have settled in for the evening and showed no signs of finding their own table. "Teresa got a job at the Mini-Mart to pay for her trip to Europe. Oh, and Wendie finally got a date with Kyle!"

"Good for her," enthused Kristi, with a grin. "She's been pining after him for years."

"But what about you?" asked Zoe. "Is it true you've moved to a private school in Westchester?"

"Yes, it's true," responded Kristi carefully, aware that Saskia and Keisha had pricked up their ears at mention of her new abode. Dawn was being distracted by Jubilee, who was arguing the merits of the song currently drifting across the club. "We've got a couple of weeks off, so I brought some friends home to meet mom and dad. This is Jubilee," she added, as the young X-Man cracked a large pink bubble with her gum to emphasise a point in her argument.

"Hey." Both Sarah and Zoe greeted Kristi's friend amiably, receiving a cheery wave in return. Then everyone's attention was diverted by Keisha, who was staring towards the club's main entrance.

Her hand was trembling as she raised it to point. "Oh. My. God. Who is _that?"_

All heads turned in the direction of her outstretched hand and Kristi felt a dark surge of lust rise up in her stomach at the sight of the figure standing at the top of the five steps that led down into the club proper.

Dressed in a white dinner jacket over smart black pants and a matching black silk shirt, his commanding presence drew the eye of everyone in his immediate vicinity. And when he slipped a hand casually into his pant's pocket, nudging back his jacket to reveal a deep red cummerbund, Kristi gasped as his eyes roved with predatory menace over those gathered below.

Never had she desired a man as much as she desired this one right now.

"That," she announced, proudly, "is my boyfriend."

The eyes that had been staring at Logan now swivelled in her direction, but Kristi didn't notice, her attention held fully by the man who had bonded her his mate and gifted her with a love she could have never dreamed possible. She rose slowly to her feet so that he would be able to see her over the crowd, knowing even as she did it that the gesture was pointless – his enhanced senses would lead him straight to her, even if the room was twice as crowded and pitch black to boot. She felt a surge of something ancient and primal rear up inside her as his icy blue eyes locked onto hers and her stomach lurched with the intensity of it.

She heard Sarah take a stunned breath as David and Remy stepped into flanking positions beside her mate – David in a smart grey suit and Remy resplendent in navy pants and a loose cream shirt. A pale blue silk scarf was draped rakishly around his shoulders.

David pointed unnecessarily towards Kristi's table and they descended the steps, falling back to allow Logan to take the lead and forge a path through the crowd like Moses parting the Red Sea.

"Oh my god! They're coming over!"

The feral heard Zoe's gasp of shock as clearly as if he'd been standing right next to her and grinned, smugly. Over one hundred years old, with a lifetime of hard knocks and deprivation behind him, and he still had the ability to set female hearts aflutter. Of course, the two centrefolds at either side of him didn't harm his creditability much either – _if_ he'd been interested in a casual pick-up this evening. The thought couldn't have been further from his mind – only one woman occupied his thoughts, and she was standing right in front of him waiting for him to join her. His heart soared at the prospect of being re-united with his mate, despite the relatively short period of time they had been apart.

Electricity seemed to arc between them as the final reveller moved out of the way, leaving the route to Kristi's side unimpeded. Logan now received his first open view of his mate and his breath caught in his throat as he took in the heady sight of the form fitting black dress she was wearing. It hugged her body in a way that Logan would love to do himself, flaring out at the hips into a softly draped semi-full skirt that ended just above the knee. The bodice had a high neck and full sleeves that fell past Kristi's hands in a tapered line. Her hair had been drawn back with two gem-encrusted combs and swept about her shoulders in a mass of soft golden curls. The picture she presented was one of understated elegance and Logan couldn't decide if he wanted to fall down on his knees and worship her or drag her home and lay claim to that exquisite body once and for all.

Time seemed to slow and the noise of the club faded away as Logan reached out to take Kristi's hands in his. Totally oblivious to the other occupants around the table, he pulled her into a warm embrace, discovering at that moment that her dress plunged away at the back, falling into a softly draped pool of fabric in the small of her back and revealing a smooth expanse of creamy skin which he was only too happy to caress with his large hands. He purred contentedly in his chest as Kristi sighed against his shoulder.

Finally pushing back from his hold on her, Logan grinned as her eyes roved him up and down, drinking in the heady sight of his unaccustomed attire. Her hands came up to caress his lapels almost reverently.

"You look gorgeous," she breathed, silkily.

"Ain't that supposed to be _my_ line, darlin'?" He chuckled as she blushed prettily, and reached out to push his fingers through the curls at her neck. "I ain't kiddin', Kris. You look stunning."

"A-hem." The soft cough invaded the private moment and they parted, realising that the other girls at the table were staring at them in wide-eyed amazement and – in the case of Nikki and Jubilee – with proud indulgence. Saskia actually had her mouth open, which she shut with a click when she noticed Kristi's eyes on her.

"Everybody, this is Logan and Remy." Kristi performed introductions while the newcomers snagged chairs, pulling them to the table which was rapidly beginning to look overcrowded. Remy sandwiched himself between Jubilee and Sarah and immediately turned his charm on for the benefit of the girls seated near him, while David positioned his chair between Zoe and Nikki and began to recount the details of a large jewellery sale he'd made that afternoon. Zoe's eyes widened at the mention of diamonds.

Logan nodded amiably at Max and received a raised hand in return. The three girls with him were hopeless cases, having fallen for the Cajun's charm hook, line and sinker.

Kristi turned to her mate as she regained her seat. "You're wearing a tie," she observed, brightly. "I've never seen you wear one before. I thought you were allergic to them."

Logan grinned ruefully, fingering the deep red bow tie nestled at his throat self consciously. "I don't wear 'em often," he admitted, with a grunt. "Can't stand the things. They make me feel as though I'm being slowly strangled. But it's a special occasion, so ………" He let the remainder of his thought go unsaid, deeming it obvious as to what he was trying to convey.

"So disappearing off with David was all for the purpose of this?" inquired Kristi, indicating the jacket.

"Yeah." Logan nodded, with a growl. "It was your brother's idea. He figured that Max would be here an' wanted me to make a good impression. He seems to think yer mom's up to somethin' – tryin' to make me look like a yokel in front o' yer hoity-toity friends." He nodded towards Saskia, who was hanging on every word being uttered by his Cajun team-mate. "I guess he was right."

"Well, I think you look wonderful," responded Kristi, patting his hand. "And I appreciate the gesture, Logan, really I do. I know this wasn't easy for you."

"Hey, don't be so quick to write me off," growled Logan in return. "I'm not a complete stranger to the idea o' fancy duds an' fine dining, y'know." He indicated his jacket with a wave of his hand. "This ain't much different to the suit I used to wear when I managed the Princess Bar."

"You managed a bar?" Kristi was incredulous. "Wait a minute – what am I saying? Of course you managed a bar! I couldn't see you managing anything else!"

"Well, 'managed' probably ain't the right word to use. Truth is, I own it." Logan scratched his nose thoughtfully. "It's in Madripoor. O' course, I ain't been out there in years. I miss it in a way, but being an X-Man don't leave much time fer personal pursuits. No time fer trips abroad or the like. But the Princess is in good hands, so I ain't too worried."

"I'd love to see it," smiled Kristi. "Is it grand?"

"Grand enough," allowed Logan. "It suits a rough old bruiser like me." He chuckled. "An' speakin' o' bars, I think it's time we got some drinks in. A guy could die o' thirst around here. Does this place serve alcohol or am I going to have to rough it on lemonade?"

"Of course it serves alcohol! Not all its patrons are underage." Kristi lifted her empty glass. "Could I have another? A martini and lemonade, please."

"Y'going for drinks, mon ami?" Remy looked around as Logan stood and fumbled in his jacket pocket for his wallet. "Remy'll help. What're you having, chere?" he added, addressing Sarah.

Orders for drinks were duly taken and Logan and Remy headed off to the bar. Max joined them, leaving Saskia and her group staring at Kristi in obvious amazement.

She positively preened under the thought that she had finally one-upped them at something.

"Do all the guys at this school look like that, or are they an exception?" asked Keisha, staring with undisguised interest at Remy's ass as he stood at the bar, chatting animatedly to Logan and Max.

"Pretty much," responded Kristi, thinking of Scott and Bobby. Both were extremely fit guys, if you liked that sort of thing.

"Does this school have any vacancies?" Dawn was suitably impressed.

Conversation flowed naturally for the next few minutes, centering around guys in general and Logan and Remy in particular. With a pecking order having being established – Kristi being the clear winner by virtue of having the oldest and the sexiest looking boyfriend – hostilities seemed to have been shelved for the evening and both Keisha and Dawn were happy to draw Kristi into their little group. Saskia still seemed slightly stand-offish, but she had been overwhelmed by the sudden appearance of three totally hot guys so this was understandable.

"Here y'go!" Remy materialised out of the revellers, carrying a small tray bearing a cocktail for Sarah, a beer for himself and Cokes for Nikki and Jubilee. Logan was just seconds behind him, equally burdened. As he placed an iced martini in front of her, Kristi squealed as one of her favourite songs pulsed out over the club.

"Oooh, Logan! I love this song! Dance with me?"

Logan shook his head. "I ain't dancin', Kris," he growled back.

Kristi looked crestfallen, but Gambit came to her rescue. "Remy, he dance wit' you, chere. Dat is, if de man don' mind?"

"Go right ahead, Cajun." Logan indicated the dance floor with a benevolent nod of the head. "Just remember to keep yer hands to yerself."

"As if he'd dare do anything else." Jubilee took a quick sip of her Coke and grabbed the Cajun's arm. "Come on! Let's go!"

The table emptied quickly as everyone took to the floor, leaving Logan and David alone with their drinks as they watched the girls writhing around the hopelessly outnumbered guys in their midst.

David saluted his sister with a tip of his gin and tonic. "She loves to dance, y'know. Have you seen her medals?"

Logan nodded. "Yeah. I ain't much of a dancer myself. Gotta be in the mood, an' I ain't drunk enough fer that yet."

"The night is young, eh?"

"Yeah."

David grinned as Kristi and Jubilee teamed up on Remy, sandwiching the helpless Cajun between their swaying bodies. "She can be a handful when she puts her mind to it, y'know. Think you can handle her?"

Logan smirked, raising an amused eyebrow. "I don't 'think' so – I _know_ so …….."

**NEXT: ** Remember what happens when Logan drinks? Oo-er!


	9. Trip the Light Fantastic

Hey, everyone! Welcome to another chapter!

**Logan's Wolverettes: **Once again, major kudos to my band of faithful followers - **immiD, Sniktchick, nileena, FrozenVoices, Sarra Ambrai, Laudine **and a big 'Hello' to guest reviewer **Sabertooth1973!**

This chapter sees the end of all the fluffy stuff! Next chapter we head into the main story at full speed! But, for now, there's music and and fun and romance ... let's dance!

**ooXoo****  
**

**9. Trip the Light Fantastic**

Logan took a satisfying gulp of beer from the half empty bottle in his hand and belched manfully, skilfully ignoring the disgusted glances of the patrons standing beside him at the bar. Placing the bottle on the shiny counter top, he leaned back and let his eyes rove across the dancers on the dance floor, searching for one woman out of many and quickly finding her strutting her stuff not far away, surrounded by Jubilee and several of her friends. She sensed her mate's scrutiny and spun gracefully on the ball of her foot, tossing him a cheery wave before swinging back around and wiggling her hips, suggestively. Logan growled, trying to tell himself that he was merely admiring her footwork, but was unable to tear his eyes away from the hypnotic sway of her youthful body.

He groped behind him for his beer bottle with one hand, bringing it to his lips and draining the remaining liquid with one gulp, all without taking his eyes from his mate. It was only his second beer of the evening, but he had already developed a quite pleasant buzz and he was quickly becoming addicted to the unfamiliar feeling. The culprit wasn't the beer – he was deliberately curbing his intake for Kristi's sake. With the bond transferring the effects of everything he drank directly to his bondmate, he had no desire to get her drunk for a second time. He was already in her mother's bad books and he didn't want to add to his list of felonies by dragging her daughter home under the influence of too much alcohol in the early hours of the morning. So the two beers he had slowly consumed were just enough to give his mate a merry buzz, but the six vodka and cokes he had so far persuaded her to consume on his behalf were reacting quite nicely with his pleasantly relaxed brain, giving him the first genuine feeling of intoxication he could recall having for quite some time. He briefly wondered if he could persuade her onto the stronger stuff, but dismissed that thought fairly quickly. His mate would probably draw the line at going home smelling like a brewery and he didn't want to go too far and knock himself out completely. Far better to start slow and work up to the hard stuff later, preferably when they were back at the mansion where less damage could be caused if things got out of hand.

Logan grinned wolfishly and turned back to face the bar, crooking his finger at the barman to attract his attention. "Set 'em up," he ordered, gruffly, and patted his pockets for a cigar as the man scurried off to carry out his bidding. In the unfamiliar recesses of the dinner jacket, his cigars and matches proved elusive and he cursed the absence of his leather jacket with its reassuring familiarity and user-friendly storage capacity. Finally concluding that he must have accidentally left his smokes and matches in the other jacket when he changed, he caught the barman's arm as he placed another beer and a vodka and coke in front of him and, a short while later, he was puffing contentedly on a smooth Havana, allowing clouds of blue smoke to billow around him as he savoured the taste. Relaxed and at ease for the first time in two days, he was unaware as his shields began to crumble one by one, allowing his mate's influence to dominate his mind …

**oooOOOooo**

"Check it out!"

Jubilee put her hands in the air and swayed her body seductively in time to the music, giggling as she attracted the attention of two young guys dancing nearby. Tossing caution to the wind, she winked and danced slower, outlining her body suggestively with her hands. Nikki clapped delightedly, cheering her on, but Kristi reprimanded both of them with a swift frown.

"Stop that, you two! Are you trying to bring Logan storming over here?"

Jubilee snorted and glanced quickly at the bar. "Aw heck, Kris, he isn't even watching. Besides, we're only having some fun."

"That sort of fun will only bring out his possessive side," argued Kristi, pointedly. "You, of all people, should know that, Jubes."

The young firecracker pouted and then blew a large pink bubble, which totally destroyed the image. She danced around her team-mate, pulling Nikki along with her, her blue eyes twinkling, mischievously. "Maybe that's just what you need to spice up your love life, Kris!" she enthused. "Get him all hot under the collar, thinking that you've caught the eye of some young upstart and you'll have a night you'll never forget!"

"You live a dangerous life sometimes, Jubes, did you know that?" Kristi tried to look cross, but failed miserably, unable to hold back the smile that touched her lips. She could also feel a blush tingeing her cheeks and she ducked her head, hoping her companions wouldn't notice her embarrassment. As much as she hated to admit it, Jubilee's words had touched a nerve. She didn't mind her sister and Jubilee knowing that she was still a virgin, but there was no way she could allow Saskia and Keisha to suspect that. Despite the uneasy truce that currently existed between them, Kristi knew that she and Logan were being scrutinised like bugs under a microscope, their every move dissected and pored over for further discussion. She had no desire to give them cause for further speculation and mirth at her expense. Not when her brother had gone to so much effort to portray her mate in such a good light.

The song they were dancing to blended seamlessly into the next – Untouched by The Veronicas – and Kristi threw herself into the moment, wanting to forget all about nightmares and hateful friends and boyfriends who wanted to mate, and just have a good time. The song was a particular favourite of hers and she closed her eyes and gave herself over to the beat, letting the music flow over and through her, telling her body how to move. Lost in the melody's thrall, she didn't notice Jubilee do a double-take at the bar, but jerked around, startled, as her young friend poked her sharply in the ribs.

"Ow, Jubes! You trying to do me a damage or something?"

The firecracker was unrepentant. Tossing a quick glance at Nikki and the others to make sure they hadn't drawn attention to themselves, she pulled Kristi around to face the bar. "Look!"

Expecting that nothing short of a major invasion by an army of Sentinels could have pulled Jubilee out of her dancing fervour, Kristi looked, only to see nothing more threatening than Logan propping up the bar with a beer in one hand and a cigar in the other. As this was a stance he had adopted quite early in the evening and was a familiar one to all who held even a passing acquaintance with the surly feral, she couldn't see what the problem was and said so to Jubilee.

"No," Jubilee insisted. _"Look!"_

So she looked again, first scanning his immediate neighbours just to make sure there were no enemies lurking incognito in the crowd and then turning her attention to her mate himself, letting her eyes linger appreciatively on his broad shoulders, the soft luxury of his hair and ….. "Oh my god!"

Jubilee blew a satisfied bubble. "You see what I mean? What have you done to the big guy, Kris?"

"I don't know ….." Kristi bit her lip uncertainly and looked back at her mate, wondering if someone had sneaked in and replaced him with a doppelganger whilst she hadn't been watching. Because, whilst leaning so nonchalantly against the bar with his customary cigar in hand and his bottle of beer in front of him, he was tapping his foot in time to the music and moving his hips and shoulders in a way that made Kristi's mouth go instantly dry. He was totally oblivious to what he was doing, but his every move had the grace of the feral that was the core of his nature and it was as sexy as hell.

Kristi suddenly realised she had forgotten how to breathe …

Gulping in air like a stranded fish, she reached out for her mate's mind, finding it unprotected and completely open to her. She understood immediately what was happening …

His shields were down and she was transmitting …

"It's the bond!" she hissed as Jubilee, pulling her friend around so that her sister wouldn't hear. "Oh god, Jubes, I'm transmitting my love of the music to him!"

Jubilee's face broke into a delighted grin. "Then go to him, girl!" She gave her friend a push towards the bar. "What are you waiting for? Ask him to dance, you idiot!"

"But he'll kill me, Jubes!" Despite Kristi's best efforts to resist, Jubilee gave her another shove that sent her stumbling off the dance floor just as Logan turned around to check out the clubbers once more. Their eyes locked and Kristi sucked in a shaky breath as his icy blue orbs seemed to pierce her to her very soul, examining her deepest secrets and desires and baring her before him. A shiver went through her as she felt his mind touch hers briefly, heavy with desire and the promise of what he would do once he had her at his mercy and she blushed, unable to tear her eyes away from his. Then, as quickly as it had come, his open presence in her mind was gone and he retreated, pulling back behind hastily erected shields and leaving her feeling strangely abandoned. He took a drag from his cigar and blew out a lazy cloud of smoke, still eyeing her through the drifting haze.

It had all happened so fast that Kristi could have sworn she'd imagined it, but for a series of images in her head that were far too X-rated to pass off as her own flights of fantasy. Covering her embarrassment with a discrete cough and squaring her shoulders, she stepped towards her mate with as much predatory menace as she could muster, determined not to let him see how much those images, whether deliberately planted or not, had shocked her. If he thought she was just going to fall into his arms like a silly awestruck schoolgirl, then he had another think coming.

"Hey, Logan." Kristi swung her hips and sauntered confidently towards her mate, letting her eyes rove across his chest, hungrily. _Give him a taste of how it feels to be hunted_, she thought, determinedly. Out loud, she asked "How're you doing?"

"M'okay," he grunted back. "Music's too loud, though. It hurts my ears an' makes my sinuses pound."

"But other than that, you're having a great time, huh?" Kristi slid in beside him and his nearest neighbour, helping herself to a handful of peanuts from the dish on the bar. "Want some?"

Logan shook his head. "Nah. They've probably been sneezed on by at least six different people. Not to mention manhandled by guys who didn't wash their hands after going to the john."

"Geez!" Torn between spitting the peanuts out and swallowing them quickly, Kristi ended up inhaling one the wrong way and she choked on it, her eyes tearing as she wheezed for breath. Logan thumped her helpfully on the back and then pushed a glass of vodka and coke towards her as her coughing spasm finally eased.

"Here. Drink some o' that. It'll help."

"You really know how to show a lady a good time, don't you, Logan?" Kristi sipped delicately at the cooling liquid and then instantly regretted her choice of words as her mate's face darkened.

"This place ain't my idea of a good time, Kris," the feral growled, glaring around at his nearest neighbours as though they were personally going out of their way to annoy him. "Too crowded, too damn loud an' too full of itself fer my tastes."

"I know, Logan, and I appreciate you coming with us this evening, really I do. I know you'd much rather be beating the snot out of some poor guy in a cage fight somewhere."

"It's not that, Kris …."

"Sure it is, Logan. We're from two different worlds, you and I, yet somehow your feral nature saw fit to bond us together. And while I admit I was shocked and traumatised at the time, I've come to realise that it's these very differences that make us strong." Kristi reached out to cover the feral's hand with her own. "You've made a huge effort to be part of my evening and I love you for that."

"An' here I thought ya loved me fer my sparklin' personality." Logan's face slipped into a rare smile and Kristi's stomach flopped at the sight. The feral was handsome under normal circumstances, but with a smile gracing his features he positively oozed sexual danger.

"That too!" Kristi grinned as his hand turned to enfold hers, feeling warm and protective against her palm. "You know what I'd really love right now, Logan?"

"What's that, darlin'?"

"I'd like you to dance with me."

Logan's face turned instantly dark and he let go of her hand. "I don't dance, Kris. Ya know that."

"But ….."

Logan held up a finger to forestall her objection. "Don't go there, Kris. I've attended ya little shindig for ya, worn a suit for ya an' had my ears tortured for ya. I've even put up with the sarcastic digs from yer jealous friends over there. But I draw the line at gettin' on that dance floor for ya." He pushed away from the bar. "If ya want me, I'll be outside gettin' some fresh air."

Kristi frowned as Logan stalked away, disappearing quickly into the crowd. She honestly couldn't blame him for not wanting to dance but, after transmitting to him so strongly, she'd hoped he'd be more amenable. Obviously, this wasn't the case. Logan was a creature of habit and, as the saying went, it was difficult to teach an old dog new tricks.

Lost in her musings, she jumped as she felt someone brush against her shoulder and she turned to find David sliding in beside her. She grinned. "Hey."

"Hey yourself. Boyfriend trouble?" he asked, without preamble, nodding his head in the direction Logan had just taken.

Kristi shook her head. "No, not really. Logan just doesn't like this sort of venue. He's more at home surrounded by trees and wild things."

"I figured as much, the way he growled when we tried to force him into a three piece suit." David signalled the barman and fixed his sister with a steady gaze. "The way he studies everyone around him with those sharp eyes of his – like he's expecting trouble at any moment – makes me really not want to know what his mutation is."

"What makes you think he's a mutant?" asked Kristi, defensively.

David inclined his head. "Come on, Kris, credit me with _some_ intelligence, will you? You're attending a school for mutants – it stands to reason that 90% of the people you know there are going to _be _mutants."

Kristi conceded, gracefully. "Okay. Point taken."

"You don't have to go into details if you don't want to," continued David. "And I'm not going to judge. I'm not mom. But it's obvious that he's years older than you, Kris, and I just wonder if you know what you're getting yourself into."

"I wonder that myself, sometimes," agreed Kristi, with a rueful grin. "But what Logan and I share is far stronger than age, or background, or any other argument my mother could come up with to split us up. I can't explain it right now, David, but one day you'll understand."

David nodded as the barman slid his drink across the counter top. "So how did you two meet anyway?"

Kristi considered this, carefully. How on Earth could she explain that they had met for the first time outside the Danger Room? That they had bonded while in the clutches of a madman?

In a flash of inspiration, she boiled it all down to its simplest form.

"It was love at first sight," she smiled, radiantly …..

**oooOOOooo**

David had come and gone. Jubilee and Nikki had put in a brief appearance a short while ago, but were now back on the dance floor, strutting their stuff and having a grand time. Kristi hadn't seen Logan for some time, but she had spotted Remy and Sarah heading for the exit several minutes before and had a feeling they were making out in the parking lot. She hoped her friend wouldn't be enchanted by the Cajun's charm. In the short time she'd known the handsome mutant, she'd come to realise that he was totally incapable of committing to a one woman relationship. As long as Sarah understood this, there would be no hearts broken this night.

Kristi's hand reached unconsciously for the peanuts before she recalled Logan's words from earlier in the evening and dragged it back with a grunt. She picked up her glass instead and took a long drink, savouring the taste on her tongue. She'd lost count of how many she'd already consumed, but she may as well have been drinking water for all the effect the alcohol had on her. The same probably couldn't be said for Logan. Their bond had the strange side effect of transmitting the results whatever she drank to her mate, and vice versa. Judging by her apparent lack of inebriation, it seemed as though Logan was going easy on the beer for once. She guessed this was entirely for her sake and another thing she had to be grateful for. Although if she found out later that it was simply because her mate didn't want to be lumbered with a silly girlfriend for another night, she was going to have words!

Another song began to play and Kristi tapped her foot with the beat, recognising the distinctive tones of Nelly Furtado singing Maneater. Settling in to enjoy it, she jumped as a rough voice growled in her ear.

"May I have this dance, darlin'?"

"Logan?" She looked down in confusion at the hand he was holding out to her. "Dance? But I …..?"

"Ya wanna dance or not?" Logan was clearly not in the mood to negotiate. "Make up yer mind. I ain't got all night."

Wordlessly, Kristi reached out to take his offered hand, allowing him to lead her onto the dance floor, where he turned her to face him, resting his hands lightly on her shoulders. She felt giddy and more than a little light headed at the prospect of what they were about to do. She had never seen Logan dance – she guessed not many people had – but if his impromptu shuffle at the bar was anything to go by she knew she was in for a rare treat.

She frowned as he slipped a hand around her waist, his touch sending tingles of anticipation and desire down her spine despite her confusion. His icy blue eyes were ablaze with feral fire as he slowly drew her into a close embrace and, when he took her hand in a Tango hold she thought her heart was going to burst with excitement. This was something totally unexpected. No one had told her the Wolverine knew how to dance formally. Perhaps no one knew. Could it be that she was the first to ever take to his arms?

And then there was no time for further thought as his feet began to lead her through the steps with perfect precision.

Kristi had danced the Tango many times, both as a student and in later years as a competitor, but never had she danced it like this, with someone who had learned the art not for showmanship, but from those who had grown to adulthood with the Tango in their blood. It was in their heart and soul – they lived and breathed it, much the way being a mutant was at the core of Kristi's soul – and it was in the Wolverine also, evident in the effortless way he moved, the way he led Kristi across the floor and in the sure way he held her in his arms. He was grace and animal magnetism personified, all wrapped up in one dangerous package, and he took her breath away.

She was dimly aware that the dancers around them were beginning to draw back, giving them room to perform, clapping and cheering them on. A sudden dip at the end of a promenade brought Nikki and Jubilee into view and she grinned at their astounded faces before being swept away into a dazzling turn.

The music came to an end with a flourish and Logan dropped her into a deep backward sway, her hair almost brushing the dance floor. Tumultuous applause greeted their dramatic finish and Kristi blushed as Logan gently set her back on her feet, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"My god, Logan ….." Kristi was flushed and could hardly breathe.

"What?" He mate huffed and shrugged his broad shoulders, irritably. "What's the problem? I thought you wanted to dance ….?"

**oooOOOooo**

"Geez, my feet hurt!" Nikki leaned against the door of the taxi as her brother paid the driver, slipping a shoe off and lifting her foot to massage her aching toes. "Oooh, I'll never walk again!"

"Said the girl who's been dancing all night!" Kristi grinned at her sister as she helped a widely yawning Jubilee out of the back of the car. "I don't think you sat down for more than fifteen minutes – max!"

"Well, speaking of tripping the light fantastic, what about you and growly man over there?" Nikki gestured with her shoe at Logan, who raised a slightly drunken eyebrow at her. "Did you see Saskia's face? I thought she was going to swallow her own tongue at one point!"

"That thing you did was awesome, Kris!" Jubilee yawned widely, emitting a plainly audible crack from her jaw. "Ow! That hurt! I never thought I'd hear myself saying this, but I need to get to bed. Don't anybody dare wake me 'till morning!"

"It _is_ morning, Jubes!" Nikki grinned at her friend as the taxi pulled away and drove slowly down the drive. "The sun will be up in a couple of hours. We've partied all night, dude!"

Jubilee groaned, feelingly.

David led the way to the front door, where he produced his keys and glanced around at his companions as he reached for the lock. "I trust you all know how to be quiet? I didn't intend for us to stay out this long and there'll be the devil to pay if we wake mom and dad on our way upstairs."

Jubilee nodded and yawned again. "We're the embodiment of silence, my good man. Now open the damn door an' let me get to bed, before I fall asleep on the doorstep."

David sighed and allowed the door to open, stepping back as everyone trooped inside, Nikki giggling like a loon and making exaggerated shushing noises. Rolling his eyes and praying that his parents were not waiting up for them, he motioned everyone to precede him up the stairs. He wasn't worried for himself and Kristi – they were both over eighteen and could do as they pleased, within reason. Logan was also out of their jurisdiction. He had the look of a seasoned drinker, however, and David doubted he could have curbed his intake if he'd tried – at least, not if he wanted to keep life and limb intact. The older man's eyes had the strange look of someone who had reached his limit and passed it some time ago, but credit due, at least he wasn't a belligerent or noisy drunk. He seemed content to hang on to Kristi's arm, and his sister was doing her level best to keep him upright as they proceeded up the stairs. How she was able to keep herself from being overcome by his obviously superior weight was a complete mystery to David.

So it wasn't himself and his sister he was worried for. Or Logan, because he had a feeling the older man could look out for himself. But he _was_ worried on behalf of Nikki and Jubilee. He was supposed to be a responsible adult and he had unwittingly kept two underage minors out partying until the small hours of the morning and he had a feeling that this wouldn't go down too well with his parents. Add to this the fact that one of their number was missing – Remy and Sarah had conspicuously not returned to the club that evening – and he was seriously hoping that their arrival home would go unnoticed.

Disaster struck half way up the stairs when Nikki dropped a shoe, which bounced back down the steps she had just trudged up with all the subtlety of a brick. Everyone froze, fearing the worst, but it seemed as though they'd got away with it and an apologetic Nikki scampered back down the stairs on bare feet to reclaim her errant footwear. David tossed her a look that the youngster knew only too well and she took Jubilee's arm, supporting herself as much as her tired friend as they climbed the rest of the stairs without mishap.

At the top, everyone separated to seek out their own rooms, but Kristi found herself being followed by Logan, who peeled off his dinner jacket, tossed it over her dresser and flopped down on the bed with a loud sigh, clearly making himself at home. He spreadeagled himself across the covers and Kristi moved quickly to the side of the bed, intending to evict her bondmate before he made himself too comfortable.

"You can't stop, Logan. Mom will go mad if you do."

"I ain't leavin', Kris, so yer mom'll jus' have ta put up with it." Logan's voice was slightly slurred, clear evidence of just how many drinks he'd managed to ply Kristi with during the evening. To her credit, she felt slightly guilty – she knew what he'd been doing and why, but the club was hot and the drinks cooling. She hadn't been able to stop herself.

Kristi sat on the edge of the bed and pushed ineffectually at her mate's body. "You've got to go, Logan. I'll get into trouble if you stay. And you will, too."

"Don't care." Logan snorted, petulantly, and opened one eye to gaze blearily up at her, batting at her annoying hands. "Quit pushin' me. Ya wanna make me heave? Christ, ain't that a thought? Don't think I've ever thrown up before, an' never in front of a skirt."

Kristi quickly removed her hands, ignoring the unladylike term he had used in favour of lowering the chances of having to indulge in a spot of late-night cleaning. Sitting back, she studied her options. She could _force _Logan to leave her room and risk waking her parents in the process, or she could let him stay and hope he could sneak out early in the morning.

It was no contest.

"If you're going to stay then at least take your shoes off and get under the covers." Kristi stood and kicked off her sandals, pushing them aside with her bare foot. "I'm going to get changed. Try not to make any noise while I'm gone."

Logan snorted loudly through his nose as she disappeared into the en-suite bathroom, closing the door softly behind her. For a brief moment, he was tempted to keep his shoes on, just to annoy her, but then figured that he was only robbing himself of the opportunity to be more comfortable. So he rolled off the bed and stood, finding the way his head swam with the movement a novel experience. It was a long time since he'd felt so intoxicated – it normally took enough beer to sink a battleship to get even the slightest buzz yet, thanks to Kristi, he was currently nursing one hell of a high. Not enough to make him falling down drunk, but just enough to make him feel relaxed, drowsy and satisfied. And strangely content.

He finished stripping and had just slipped under the covers when Kristi reappeared, wearing a short blue nightie with a motif of two kittens tangled in a ball of wool on the front. He smiled at the irony of it – here she was, matebonded to the biggest badass on the planet, and she still liked small fluffy kittens!

Kristi caught his smile and threw him a suspicious frown. "What're you grinning at?"

"Nothin'." Logan raised an innocent eyebrow and placed his hands behind his head, stretching out his chest and showing an indecent amount of bare flesh. His mate's cheeks flushed pink. He knew the effect his body had on her and he would have liked nothing more than to show her what else it could do, but a promise was a promise and so he rolled over and patted the vacant pillow next to him. "Ya coming or not?"

"I'm coming, but no funny stuff, you hear?" Kristi turned out the light and climbed into bed, snuggling down under the covers and feeling the familiar press of her mate's body against hers as he moved into his customary position at her back. One hand rested lightly on her hip and she took it in hers, pulling it around her and tucking it under her breast. She felt her mate purr appreciatively against her back.

She waited a few moments until his breathing evened out and he was almost asleep. "Thank you, Logan," she whispered, softly.

"What for?" The feral's voice was drowsy with sleep and she briefly regretted rousing him.

"For dancing with me tonight." Kristi hugged his hand closer to her body and sighed, deeply. "It was ….. nice."

"You're welcome." She felt Logan stir against her. "Ya wanna let me sleep now?"

"The song was perfect," Kristi persisted. "The right tempo and everything. "

"Yeah, well I bribed the guy on the sound to play it, didn't I?"

"You did?"

Logan snorted and nudged her in the back. "Kris, it's late. Ya wanna gab then go find yer sister. Lemme sleep."

Kristi grinned and raised his hand to her lips. "Goodnight, Logan."

"…Nite ….."

Kristi closed her eyes, listening to the sound of her mate's breathing grow rough as he dropped into a deep sleep. The next thing she knew, the early morning sunlight was shining on her face through curtains she had mistakenly left open and her mother was screaming hysterically at a confused and thoroughly hungover feral …..

**NEXT:** The fluffy and fun stuff comes to an end! Next chapter it all hits the fan when the mist rolls in!


	10. Shadows in the Mist

Another week, another chapter! Welcome!

**Logan's Wolverettes: **Once again, I am hugely in debt to my loyal band of followers! Many thanks to - **Sarra Ambrai, Sniktchick, nileena, FrozenVoices, Laudine, MidLifeCrisis **and **immiD! **And a huge **'Hello!' **to guest reviewer **The Scratch Man!**

As an explanation to my new readers, readers who review three times become a member of the prestigeous Wolverettes! Join up, now!

As promised, the fluff and fun is now over! From now on, it's all blood and mayhem! Onward ...!

**ooXoo**

**10. Shadows in the Mist**

"Mom? Geez, what the hell are you doing in here?" Kristi recoiled in surprise and horror as her mate, obviously disoriented and nursing the mother of all hangovers, groaned and tried to pull the covers over his head. She placed a protective hand on his arm as her mother advanced, fury evident in her eyes.

"Don't you dare use that tone with me, young lady!" Mrs Marsters pointed an accusing finger at her daughter, almost spitting in her anger. "How could you, Kristi? You promised us. And you …." she added, rounding once more on the bleary eyed feral, "How dare you take advantage of my daughter under my very roof? Get out! Get out, now!"

"Christ, lady, quit yellin', will ya?" Logan put a hand to his head, groaning at the unfamiliar sensation of something as simple as a headache. "Have some respect fer the wounded, fer Chrissakes."

"Don't you speak to me like that!" Mrs Marsters slapped at the bed with her hand. "Get out of my daughter's bedroom!"

"If ya insist." Logan raised an eyebrow and made to push back the covers. "But I gotta warn ya, I'm stark naked."

Mrs Marsters reeled back in horror, her eyes instantly seeking her daughter for an explanation. Kristi held up her hand, pleadingly.

"Mom, it's okay. Nothing happened, I promise". Logan and I, we ….. we sleep together sometimes. But that's all it is. Nothing more."

The excuse sounded flimsy to her own ears and she wasn't surprised when her mother snorted, quickly regaining some of her earlier bluster. "A likely story! A woman takes a naked man to her bed for only one thing and I'm honestly disgusted at you, Kristi. I thought you knew better than this. Your father and I did not bring you up to be a whore …."

The moment they were said, Mrs Marsters instantly regretted her words, but it was too late to call them back. Kristi gasped in shock, her eyes filling with disbelieving tears. Beside her, Logan growled, his face hardening, and Mrs Marsters took an involuntary step back as he pushed back the covers.

"Lady, you've just gone too god-damn far …."

"It's okay, Logan, I'll deal with this." Kristi pushed him back down and slid out of bed herself, padding softly on bare feet to stand before her mother. The woman reached out a hand to her daughter, but Kristi took a step back, deliberately avoiding the contact. "Kristi, I …"

"Logan's right, mom. You've gone too far this time." Kristi shook her head, sadly. "You know, I honestly thought you'd be pleased for me – finding someone to love after being forced to give up Max and so much more. And Logan does love me, mom, there's no doubt about that. He loves me enough to wait until _I'm_ ready to have sex with him." Mrs Marsters cringed at her daughter's choice of word, but Kristi ignored this. "But all you can see is what you want to see, isn't it, mom? You see someone older than me – someone rough and street-wise – and you think that's all there is to the man. But it's not like that. You have to look with better eyes than that."

"Kristi, I ….. I'm sorry. I didn't mean ….." Mrs Marsters made a valiant effort to apologise, but Kristi was having none of it. She turned away, walking to her dresser where she opened a drawer and began pulling out items of underwear.

"We're leaving, mom – we're going back to the school just as soon as we've packed. I can't stay here and watch you criticise Logan any longer. It isn't fair on me and it most certainly isn't fair on Logan."

"Kristi, please ….." Mrs Marsters' eyes flicked to Logan, as if seeking support from the very man she had previously despised, but he shook his head at her.

"I think you'd better leave," he growled.

For a moment, it looked as though she would argue – being sent out of her daughter's bedroom by a visitor to her home obviously didn't sit well – but, with a last glance at Kristi, she turned and walked to the door, holding her head high. Kristi heaved a tremulous sigh as the door closed behind her mother.

"Kris?" Logan sent questing touches along the bond and then slid out of bed, retrieving his pants from where he had left them the night before and pulling them on quickly. Throughout it all, Kristi remained standing at the dresser with her back towards him, but when he began to walk towards her she turned around.

"I'm sorry, Logan. Could you ….. could you give me some time alone?"

Logan hesitated, torn between the desire to comfort his mate and giving in to her wishes. He finally nodded, understanding her need for solitude at this time.

"Fine. I'll go outside fer a smoke. But I'll be right here …" he tapped his head, " ….. if you need me."

Without bothering to don further clothing, he slipped out of Kristi's room and padded along the hallway on bare feet to his own room. Remy was sprawled out across his bed, fully dressed and snoring fit to wake the dead. Tossing the Cajun a disgusted glance, Logan dug into his duffle for a cigar and a pack of matches and then left, taking great delight in slamming the door behind him. The startled grunt his enhanced senses picked up through the door told him he'd succeeded in rudely waking his team-mate.

Downstairs, he could hear soft voices coming from the lounge – the sound of gentle sobbing told him that Mrs Marsters was being comforted by her husband. Logan honestly couldn't bring himself to feel any sympathy for the woman. She'd been riding his back since they arrived. As he'd told her that day in the kitchen, he was used to people making snap judgements about him based on first impressions and this had never bothered him before. He wasn't the kind of person who normally paid much attention to what people thought of him – they either liked him or they didn't, he didn't care much either way. But where Kristi's welfare was concerned, he _did _care and it irked him that she was upset. Her mother's approval had meant a lot to his mate and, without it, she was bereft and uncertain – he could feel her inner turmoil through the bond. It made him feel twitchy – like ants crawling all over his skin – and every instinct he possessed was prompting him to respond to this stimuli in his usual fashion – by uncaging the beast and letting his claws do the talking. But if his relationship with Kristi had taught him anything it was that resorting to violence in this instance would only make things worse. For once in his life he had to curb his temper and let his own emotions take a back seat. It was time to let Kristi call the shots.

He skirted the lounge on silent feet and slipped ghost-like out of the kitchen door into the back garden, where he leaned against the door frame and lit his cigar with steady puffs. 'Garden' was something of an understatement, the feral realised as he let his eyes rove over the landscaped lawns and shimmering swimming pool complete with lock-up bar and a pool-house. He shifted uncomfortably on his feet. Who would have thought that his little mate would come from such an affluent family? She had certainly made no mention of it and, while he knew she hadn't deliberately withheld the information, she hadn't exactly volunteered it either. He felt a moment of pique, until he remembered she knew almost next to nothing about _his_ life – Department H, Madripoor, Alpha Flight ….. Weapon X – it was all a mystery to her. Of course, most of it was a mystery to him too, but that didn't excuse him from not sharing the little he did know with his mate.

Maybe if he did share, she would be more willing to submit to his charms the next time he visited her bed? He'd made a promise that he wouldn't force her into anything she didn't want to do – and he would stick to that – but he was a feral, with a feral's needs and desires. He couldn't deny his right forever. If he could do anything to encourage a favourable outcome, he was willing to try, even if it meant baring his very soul.

_Damn kid's gonna be the death o' me, _he thought, irritably, and blew a cloud of blue smoke across the garden.

The kitchen door opened and Nikki stepped out, clutching a black refuse sack and a couple of cans. Logan watched her drop each into the appropriate bin and then recoil in shock when she finally spotted him reclining against the wall. She clutched at her heart, dramatically.

"Oh geez! You gave me a fright! I didn't see you there!"

"Figured that," responded Logan. He waved vaguely in the direction of elsewhere with his cigar. "Why ain't ya at school?"

Nikki dusted her hands off down the front of her jeans. "I slept over! Something to do with staying out until the early hours of the morning, I guess! Did you know your yummy friend's back?"

"Yeah. Matter of interest, how did he get in?"

Nikki grinned. "He came in through the upstairs bathroom window. I heard him cursing in French when he knocked the soap dispenser off the windowsill. Dad'll be pleased to know that his new security system works a treat."

Logan was grudgingly impressed. "Don't tell yer dad about the alarm. Remy used to be a thief. Still is, I guess. But there ain't a system made that he can't bypass in one way or another."

"Geez! Should we be locking away the silver?"

"Nah. He won't steal from folks he knows, so yer stuff's safe. Unless you've got some old masterpieces squirreled away around the place somewhere. Seems to be mighty fond o' those, if I recall."

"No, our house is strangely devoid of Monet's and Turners, for some reason." Nikki grinned, totally at ease with her burly companion. For some reason which she couldn't quite explain, she felt drawn to the man, although she also sensed he held devastating power at his fingertips. Common sense told her she should be afraid of him, but instinct told her he would never purposely hurt her. Whether this was because he was her sister's man, she didn't know, but she was certain of one thing and that was that he was going to play a huge part in her life in the very near future. Call it intuition if you will, but Nikki Marsters knew she was bound to this man in ways she would be powerless to explain.

Logan rolled his cigar from one side of his mouth to the other. "I can practically hear ya thinkin', kid. What're ya plannin' now?"

"Nothing." Nikki assumed an innocent expression. "I was just letting my mind wander, that's all."

"Well, I hope it ain't wanderin' in the direction of another nightclub 'cause we won't be here. We're going home today."

As soon as he'd said it, Logan realised he'd made a huge mistake, as Nikki's face fell. "You're leaving? So soon? But I thought you were here for a couple of weeks?"

Logan chomped irritably on his cigar. "Ain't our choice, believe me. Our hands' been forced."

"It's my mom, isn't it?" Nikki pulled a face. "I heard her shouting this morning. Did she catch you and Kris together?"

Logan raised an eyebrow, unsure as to just how much he should admit to. Nikki was only fourteen when all was said and done, although she acted older than her years, but he had no desire to dig his hole any deeper than it was already.

Nikki solved his immediate problem with a grin. "I saw you going into Kristi's room last night," she admitted, smoothly. "I'm guessing it didn't go down too well with mom, huh?"

"That's something of an understatement." Logan blew a regretful cloud of smoke out of the corner of his mouth.

"Do you have to go?" asked Nikki, sadly.

"The decision ain't mine, darlin'." Logan pushed away from the wall and advanced slowly across the patio a few paces, stopping at the edge of the lawn. "Yer sister don't feel welcome here any longer."

"But I don't want her to go!" Nikki stamped her foot, petulantly, betraying her tender years. "This is her home! And we haven't seen her in months!"

Logan shrugged, looking back over his shoulder at the troubled teen. "Try tellin' that to yer mother," he growled.

"I will!" Nikki turned determinedly towards the door. "She can't force you away like this. It isn't right. Besides, with that fog rolling in, it isn't safe for you to drive."

"Fog? There ain't any ….. What the fu….?" Logan bit off the expletive as he did a double-take in the direction of the pool-house. Where moments before the pool had been glittering in the early morning sunshine, it had now almost disappeared under a wall of earily shifting mist. Logan's hackles rose instantly and a low growl rumbled in his chest.

Nikki was usually captivated by Logan's growly nature, but now she could only sense that something was dreadfully wrong. "What is it?" she hissed.

Logan tossed her a sideways glance and threw his cigar down onto the patio. "Stay here," he ordered and stepped onto the lawn.

The neatly mowed grass was cool beneath his bare feet as he made his way towards the pool, every sense he possessed trained towards the drifting mist. As he drew nearer, it seemed to shift slightly, advancing forwards even as he watched to engulf the pool completely. Looking cautiously to left and right, he could see that it extended like an impenetrable wall on all sides of the house.

They were surrounded …

He stopped just inches from the outer edge, peering into its cloudy depths. He knew he was standing just feet away from a large pool and a pool-house – hell, there was even a gazebo in there somewhere – but even his enhanced eyesight could make out no trace of them. It was as if they had disappeared completely, transported elsewhere the moment the mist touched them.

And then he saw the shapes moving within the murk – sensed the eyes that glared so malevolently back at him and his hackles rose at the reek of pure evil that seemed to flow over him like a wave.

"Is that stuff natural, or what?"

"_Jesus!"_ He jumped as Nikki appeared at his side, peering into the mist. He'd been so focused on what was inside it that he had missed her approach. He gestured irritably towards the house. "I thought I told you to stay back there?" The kid could obey an order about as well as Jubilee.

"I thought I could help." Nikki frowned and reached out a hand. "Is there something moving in there?"

"Don't touch it!" Logan slapped her hand away just seconds before she touched the leading edge. He took a step back, pulling her with him. As if sensing a lifeforce within reach, the fog flowed forwards, eagerly seeking contact, and Nikki's face paled.

"This isn't right, is it? Is it?" She peered fearfully up at the growling feral, her eyes wide. "Shouldn't we tell someone? Call the police, or something?"

Logan came to an abrupt decision. "Come on." He took her arm and strode back towards the house, pulling her along beside him. At the kitchen door he pushed her inside ahead of him and turned to glance back at the mist once more – it was pulsing hungrily and the dark shapes within were more pronounced.

Safely inside the house, he locked the kitchen door behind him, then turned and grabbed Nikki by the shoulders. "Find your family," he ordered, gruffly. "Get them into the lounge an' keep 'em there. Don't let anyone go outside."

He gave her a push towards the door, but she clutched at his arm, fearfully. "But where are _you_ going?" she asked, in a tremulous voice.

"I'm going to warn my team."

"Your ….. your _team…..?"_ Despite her fear, Nikki gaped at him and he gave her another push to get her moving.

"Fer Crissakes, kid, we ain't got time fer this. Go!"

This time, his tone alone lent urgency to her feet and she scampered from the room with a squeak. With a quick glance out of the window to check on the fog's progress – it was almost to the edge of the lawn – Logan followed.

It was time to mobilise the X-Men …..

**oooOOOooo**

Kristi had seen the encroaching mist through her bedroom window and felt her mate's alarm engulfing the bond, so she wasn't surprised when he burst through her door minutes later, his eyes wild and nostrils flaring as though he was constantly testing the air.

"We've got trouble," he barked at her. "Get dressed. If you've brought your uniform, now would be a good time to unpack it." He ducked back out of her room, presumably to rouse Remy and Jubilee.

Kristi had indeed packed her fighting uniform – she'd been planning on showing it off to her family, but developments with her mother meant it had remained firmly in her bag. Now, despite Logan's tone and the obvious evidence that something was dreadfully wrong outside, she felt a surge of excitement as she laid it out on the bed.

She was just tugging on her jacket when Logan returned with a tousle-haired Remy in tow. Both were dressed in their fighting leathers and she raised an eyebrow at the implications of this. To all intents and purposes, their trip had been for the sole intention of meeting family and having a well-earned vacation – that they'd brought uniforms meant that they'd expected – or maybe hoped for - more. Did X-Men always travel as though they expected to be ambushed at any moment or were these particular companions just naturally paranoid?

Remy couldn't help but notice his team-mate checking out his body armour and he flashed her a dazzling smile, patting his breastplate proudly. "Never go anywhere wit'out it, chere. You never know when you're gonna go into action."

"Action? What about 'action'?" Jubilee stumbled into view, obviously still half asleep. She was in uniform, but held her trademark duster draped over one arm. "Wha's happenin'? Why did Wolvie drag me outta bed an' tell me to suit up?"

"Have you looked outta the window lately, Jubes?" Logan gestured towards Kristi's bedroom window, where thin tendrils of mist were nudging tentatively against the glass.

Jubilee grimaced. "Oh. That."

"Did you t'ink it were de fairies come a'knocking, petite?" asked Remy. He twirled his bo staff and received a jab to his ribs for his trouble.

Logan growled. "If you two jokers can see fit to bring yer minds back to the matter at hand, we've got civilians to look out for." He turned to Kristi. "That's your department, darlin'. Ya gotta convince yer family that we got a situation here."

Kristi paled visibly at the thought. "I'll do my best." She started for the stairs, but turned back at the top. "I think it would be best if I saw them alone. At least at first. This is gonna come as a huge shock to them."

Logan nodded. "They're waitin' in the lounge."

Kristi led the way downstairs, her hand shaking as she gripped the banister. At the lounge door, Logan put out his arm to hold back his team-mates, allowing his mate to enter the room alone.

Her family were gathered there in varying degrees of agitation. Her parents were sitting together on the couch – her mother's head was bowed and she held her hands in her lap, mangling a tissue between her fingers. David was pacing the floor, rattling his car keys and occasionally glancing at the window, which looked out onto nothing more than an impenetrable wall of fog. Only Nikki seemed anywhere near at ease, sitting on the floor at her father's feet, and her eyes opened wide at the sight of her sister in the black uniform.

Mr Marsters got to his feet immediately as Kristi entered the room. "Kristi, what the hell is going on? Why did Logan confine us to this room?"

"Mom ….. dad …" Kristi took a deep breath and looked around at her family, wondering how to start. Strange phenomena like fog that moved with a will of its own were commonplace to the X-Men, but civilians were likely to be freaked out. However, she decided not to beat around the bush. If Logan's alarm was anything to go by, they didn't have a lot of time. "We're in danger," she began. "Logan wants me to tell you …"

"That man has no right to order us around in our own home." Kristi's mother interrupted before she could finish, her eyes flashing angrily. "It's not right, Kristi, and I won't have it!"

"Wait, mom, haven't you seen what she's wearing?" Nikki broke in, kneeling between her parents. "Dad, just look at her!"

"No, Nikki, your mother's right. As much as I like Logan, he has no right ….."

"Will you all just shut up and listen?" Kristi could contain herself no longer and her outburst stunned everyone into a shocked silence. "For heaven's sake, we could all be in great danger and all you can do is argue over who has the right to order someone else around. Jesus!" She paused, aware that her mate's mannerisms were beginning to show and decided to take the bull by the horns. "It's about time you all knew the truth. I'm not just learning how to use my powers at Xavier's school. I'm an X-man." Nikki squealed delightedly and her father's eyes widened in surprise. "I graduated a few weeks ago and ….. well, I think I'll just let the evidence speak for itself."

Prompted by the emotions running through the bond, Logan led his team-mates into the lounge.

Nikki reeled back in amazement. "OhMyGod! There are X-Men in our living room!"

"You'd better believe it, petite." This from Gambit, who couldn't help preening for his audience.

"You all know I decided to call myself Wildstar," continued Kristi, trying to ignore the sight of her brother standing with his mouth hanging open. "When I arrived at the school, the name was unofficial – as a fully-fledged member of the elite team, I can use that name by right and wear the uniform. These are some of my team-mates. And yes, Nikki, they are all senior members of the team."

"Cool!" enthused the youngster, her eyes glowing with pride and excitement.

"But ….. but surely Jubilee isn't an X-Man?" Mr Marsters spluttered helplessly, unable to believe the evidence before his eyes. "She's far too young, surely?"

"The youngest member ever!" declared Jubilee, proudly. "I'm one of a kind – 100% firecracker!"

"Don' let de petite's young age fool you, mon ami," added Remy, with a grin. "Many a villain done jus' dat – to dere ultimate cost."

"My god ….." Mr Marsters drew a shaking hand across his brow and sank down into his seat.

"This is so cool!" Nikki was practically bouncing with excited energy. "So, do you all, like, have codenames or something, or is that just Kristi? You gotta have codenames! Right?"

Remy swept his hand in a deep bow. "Dey call me Gambit, petite. At your service." And he twirled his bo staff through the air, ending with a flourish that had Nikki clapping delightedly.

All eyes turned to Logan, who grunted and tensed, visibly.

Kristi slipped deftly around the Cajun to stand at her mate's side. "Everyone, this …. this is Wolverine."

And she gasped as her mother slid bonelessly out of her seat in a dead faint …

**NEXT: **Who is responsible for the fog? Logan finds out …..


	11. Deathstrike

Hello, everyone! So sorry for the delay in uploading this chapter! It's been finished for almost a week, but extended hours at work has meant that I haven't been able to get at my laptop as often as I would have liked! Hope you all forgive me!

**Logan's Wolverettes:** My dear friends have been busy with the little button at the bottom of the page! Thanks to **nileena, bluedragon1836, Laudine, Sniktchick, Sarra Ambrai, wolverina32, FrozenVoices, sagas. pen **and** The Scratch Man!**

With our story now taking a dramatic leap forward, I hope you all enjoy the next chapter! Onward ...!

**ooXoo**

**11. Deathstrike**

"I've checked the front and back doors, Rems, they're both locked." Jubilee blew a bright pink bubble as she trotted back into the lounge and approached the Cajun, trying to ignore the accusatory glare being levelled in her direction by Mrs Marsters as she lay stretched out on the couch, bolstered by a pile of cushions. Nikki, sitting on the floor at her mother's feet, grinned at her friend ruefully as she passed by.

"Remy? You listening to me there?"

"Gambit hear you, petite." The tall mutant paused in his inspection of the patio doors to watch her approach and then turned back, rattling the door handle to make sure they were locked before placing his back to the framework and allowing his eyes to rove around the room. With his mutant capabilities now out in the open, he had temporarily removed his ever-present sunglasses and his devilish red eyes glittered eerily in the soft light provided by a single lamp in the opposite corner of the room. Despite being early morning, the fog had blotted out the sun and the house was dark and strangely silent.

"I think the fog's getting thicker, Rems." Jubilee looked unhappily out of the patio doors and then stooped to pick up the Cajun's bo staff from where he had left it resting against the back of a chair. She gave it an experimental swish through the air and handed it to him with another pop of her gum. Gambit took it wordlessly and motioned her away from the doors with a crook of his finger.

"Don' stand too close, petite. Dere's somet'ing moving out dere an' it isn't de local squirrels."

"Geez!" Jubilee backed off slightly and Gambit placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. No one had yet put voice to the suspicion, but he was sure the rest of his team-mates were thinking the same thing – that the fog's mysterious appearance could hardly be a coincidence. Wherever they went, the X-Men seemed to attract trouble like moths to a flame, often dragging the unwary and innocents alike along with them. Most survived the experience. Some did not. So, with no idea of what they were up against, it was imperative to keep Kristi's family out of the line of fire and protect them at all costs. To this end, Wolverine and Wildstar had taken themselves on a tour of the house, thus serving a two-fold purpose – to check that nothing could get in and take them unawares and also to give Mrs Marsters some time to come to terms with Logan's identity. Cool heads were needed if the X-Men were going to figure out what was going on and the last thing they needed were accusations being thrown about like so much bad rubbish.

As if his thoughts were the catalyst, Jubilee suddenly sighed heavily. "Do you think she's gonna be okay, Remy?" she asked, her voice tinged with concern.

"Who, petite?" Gambit figured he already knew, but didn't want to jump to conclusions.

"Kristi." Jubilee scuffed unhappily at the carpet with the toe of her boot. "I mean, it was bad enough when her mom hated Wolvie for being older then her, but now she knows he's Wolverine …" Her voice trailed off, dejectedly.

Gambit shook his head. "Don' you worry none 'bout de Wildstar, petite. She's not gonna let her mama get de better of her, an' de Wolverine won' let anyt'ing happen to his mate. Dey'll be okay, Jubilee. Remy sure of it."

"I hope you're right, Rems. I'm her best friend and right now I feel about as useful as a chocolate teapot."

Gambit snorted in amusement. "Wildstar knows you're dere for her, petite. We all are. De X-Men, dey look after their own, _non?"_

Jubilee nodded. "Too right, Rems!" She punched the air in determination and then glanced sideways as Mr Marsters entered the room. His gait was quick and his face agitated as he moved to the couch and sank down into a space by his wife's feet.

"The 'phone's dead," he announced to the room in general. "I've tried every number I can think of, but all I get is this weird squealing noise."

"Have you tried the police?" David pushed away from the wall he'd been leaning on and advanced a few steps. "I mean, they're supposed to be prepared for any emergency, aren't they? They've got to answer."

"Well, unfortunately somebody forgot to tell the police that, because their 'phones are down too." Mr Marsters reached out to take his wife's hand. "Whatever is happening here, we're all alone."

Jubilee snorted in astonished annoyance at the same time as Nikki exclaimed "But we're not alone, dad! We've got the X-Men to protect us!"

"And a fine job they've done of it so far, too." Mrs Marsters put in, raising herself up on one elbow to glare at her youngest daughter. "If they're so wonderful, why are we surrounded by this infernal fog in the first place, hmm? Answer me that! And another thing, how do we know that one of them hasn't caused this fog to make themselves look good when they come to our 'rescue'?"

Jubilee could contain herself no longer. She pulled away from Gambit's retaining hand and advanced on the couch, raising her trademark sunglasses so that she could glare at Kristi's mother eye to eye.

"You really are the silliest woman I've ever known!" she declared crossly, as both Gambit and Nikki winced. "Take a look around you – does that fog look natural to you? Or that any one of us would cause it just so we could get some kicks by rescuing the 'stranded civilians'?" She waggled her fingers in quotation marks. "Well, I've got news for you, lady – the X-Men don't need to rely on cheap tricks to get their jollies. We've faced aliens, Sentinels and scaly creatures with really big teeth. We've travelled into space and witnessed the birth of suns. To even suggest that we could have instigated all of this just to make ourselves look good is frankly insulting!"

The stunned silence that greeted her words was broken by Wolverine stalking into the room. The charged atmosphere told him instantly that something was amiss and he glared at Jubilee, garnering his attention by virtue of being the closest. "What's going on?"

"Nothing." Jubilee turned her back on Mrs Marsters and stomped back to the patio doors. "We were just discussing the fog."

The firecracker affected an air of innocence but Logan wasn't fooled. The kid smelled wrong and the others in the room were displaying a range of emotions that went from outrage to downright shame. Something had happened in his absence, but he couldn't quite his finger on it and now wasn't the time to ask questions.

He grunted and tossed a couple of small devices onto the nearest chair. "The comlinks are down," he growled, irritably. "All I'm gettin' is an annoying squeal."

"It's the same with the 'phone lines," confirmed Mr Marsters, ignoring his wife's disgusted snort. As he'd never had any problem with the older man dating his daughter he saw no reason to instigate a feud. "What does it mean?"

"Nothin' good, that's fer certain." Logan turned to the door just seconds before Kristi appeared, alerted by his mate's mental signature. "Any luck?" he asked, hopefully.

Kristi shook her head. "Not a peep," she admitted, ruefully. After patrolling the upstairs windows with her mate, she had returned to her bedroom in the hope of contacting Jean or the Professor telepathically, using the familiar surroundings as a means to relax and focus her mind. The attempt had failed. "It was weird," she admitted, with a grimace. "All I could sense was ….. static."

"What the hell is going on here?" Logan stalked to the patio doors, shouldering between Jubilee and Gambit and glaring out at the mist as though he could force it to give up its answers by sheer willpower alone.

"Shouldn't we be doing something?" David looked around at the other occupants of the room, helplessly. "I mean, surely there's something we could do other than sit here and watch that fog getting thicker. What about the police? The army? Shouldn't one of us be going for help?"

"Nobody's going anywhere." Logan looked back over his shoulder, his eyes dark and dangerous. "There's something evil out there – I can smell it – an' nobody's leavin' this house until we know what we're facin'."

"You can smell something evil?" Nikki's eyes were full of wonder, the teen obviously intrigued by this revelation. "Geez! That is so cool!"

It wasn't exactly how Logan would have described it, but now wasn't the time to argue the pros and cons of mutant gifts, so he settled for raising an eyebrow at her before turning back to his perusal of the mist …..

…..He was just in time to catch the sparkling orb of wytchfyre as it hurtled towards them out of the fog …..

"_**Get down!"**_ he yelled and twisted around, throwing himself over the prone form of Mrs Marsters and gathering Nikki to him just as the doors blew inwards with a roar of impacting energy, sending debris flying across the room with deadly accuracy. He grunted in pain as a jagged panel of glass glanced off his back, but was on his feet in an instant, shielding his mate's mother and sister with his own body as he ushered them towards the far wall. Bundling them into a corner, he heard the distinctive whine of Gambit's energy projectiles and turned just in time to see two glowing cards deflect a sizable chunk of doorframe away from David's head. The pop and crackle of Jubilee's fireworks told him that his young sidekick was similarly engaged, and when a golden glow reflected off the fog that was already trying to encroach into the room he knew his bondmate had powered up.

Gambit grabbed David's arm and pushed both him and his father against the wall, immediately moving to Wolverine's side to help protect them. Jubilee sent a barrage of fireworks through the ruined doorway and out into the fog, where they exploded with muffled thumps.

"There's something out there!" she yelled over her shoulder, hands raised to unleash more mayhem.

"Get back here, Jubilee," Logan snarled and indicated the spot beside his bondmate.

To her credit, Jubilee hesitated for only a heartbeat before scrambling backwards over the glass encrusted carpet to join her team-mates, where she summoned a couple of fireworks and held them above her hand, ready to throw.

With all eyes fixed on the ragged gap in the wall that had once been a set of patio doors, they waited …..

Something moved in the distance and Logan hissed, alerting the others and simultaneously reaching out with his senses, inwardly cursing the air of wrongness about the place which masked any approaching scents. He snorted, trying to force the stink from his nostrils, and scrubbed a hand across his face irritably. He could feel Nikki pressing against his back in her eagerness to see between him and her sister and he put out a hand to hold her back, not trusting her common sense to keep her behind him where it was safe. _The kid's too much like Jubilee fer her own good,_ he growled inwardly.

The shapes in the fog resolved into two indistinct figures and Logan moved forward to meet them, leaving his team-mates to close ranks behind him. The fog pulsed and swirled around the newcomers, parting before them and rolling in again behind them as if cutting off any means of escape. It seemed almost alive in its intent.

Logan clenched his fists, feeling the tell-tale itch of his claws nudging against the skin between his knuckles. He resisted the urge to unsheathe them, knowing that the civilians were already spooked. The sight of his metal blades erupting from his hands could cause a panic, and the last thing they needed was someone trying to make a run for it across a possible line of fire. The claws, if they were needed, would be a last resort.

And then that thought went right out of his head as he finally put a name to the scent that reached him through the swirling mist. Feeling a snarl well up in his throat, he released his claws with a flick of his wrists, ignoring a startled scream from Kristi's mother, and prepared to unleash a brutal and bloody death on the two women who stepped through the hole in the wall with an air of quiet confidence.

The taller of the two, dressed in figure hugging desert fatigues, flexed her fingers as though preparing to fight ….. and then dropped into a deep, respectful bow, her eyes never leaving Wolverine's. "Logan-_san_."

"Yuriko." Wolverine sketched a bow in return, but his claws remained unsheathed. He had faced this woman too many times in the past to give her the benefit of the doubt.

If the two women were intimidated by his blades they didn't show it. Instead, the taller woman's eyes flicked to each person behind him in turn and she tilted her head, thoughtfully.

"You're a difficult man to find, Wolverine. Took us a while to track you down after we realised you had disappeared from the school." She nodded her head towards the civilians. "Is this your pack?"

"No." The word was barely recognisable as such, being little more than a feral growl, but Yuriko nodded.

"I understand. Nevertheless, they are important to you in some way. I recognise the little one." She flipped an unusually long finger at Jubilee, ignoring the firecracker's annoyed snort. "So, family perhaps? Although not yours. Maybe the girl's?" Her eyes swept over Wildstar this time before her elegant Asian features morphed into a cruel smile. "Such an exquisite creature. Could it be that the solitary Wolverine has finally taken a mate? My my ….." And she began to laugh, a chilling sound that made the skin at the back of Kristi's neck prickle.

Wolverine raised a clawed hand. "Cut the crap, Deathstrike. Whaddaya want? I take it that all this ….." and he nodded towards the fog " …..is your doing?"

Yuriko jabbed an accusing finger at the feral. "I want what I've always wanted, Wolverine! Your head on a platter and my father's metal back with its rightful owner."

"Well, good luck with that," Wolverine snorted.

Yuriko's eyes grew wild and her fingers began to lengthen, becoming obscene parodies of Wolverine's claws. "Do not mock me! I will have my revenge!"

"Or die tryin'?" added Wolverine, dismissively. "We've been through this a hundred times or more, Yuriko, an' it always ends the same way."

"But this time it will end differently." Yuriko's face was a mask of hatred, her eyes flashing with insanity. "If I cannot have my father's metal, no one will, including you." She turned to the second woman, who was standing slightly behind and to one side of her, beckoning her forward. "This is Spellbind. It is her powers which have brought you here to this place."

A polite cough directed her attention to Gambit. "Forgive de interruption, but where is 'here' exactly?"

"This is the netherworld – a place between the world of the living and of the dead." Spellbind made a strange gesture and a tendril of fog snaked in through the ruined doorway and wrapped lovingly around her hand. "I walk the veils between worlds – its minions are mine to command, their powers my own. In this realm, I am without equal."

"Well ….. okay." Wolverine tossed the woman a wary glance. "But what has this got to do with us?"

Deathstrike took up the narrative once more. "I will be made a fool of no longer, Wolverine. This dwelling exists here only because Spellbind wishes it. Once we have left, it will be drawn back into its own world, but without Spellbind to aid its passing, the transition will not be kind on any organic material still within its walls. I would suggest you vacate as quickly as possible before the inevitable happens."

"Hey, wait a minute! By 'organic material, you mean us, don't you?" Jubilee, as ever, came right to the point.

Deathstrike gave her a small bow. "You are an astute child."

"An' what's supposed ta happen to us?" Wolverine was sure he knew the answer to that question, but needed to ask it anyway.

"You will die, Wolverine. All of you. And when the denizens of this place have stripped you all down to the bone, I will return and claim what is rightfully mine." She raised a hand in farewell as Spellbind began to chant and make strange movements with her hands. "Farewell, Logan_-san_. When next we meet, your spirit will be free and your metal will be mine."

Wolverine allowed his claws to slide slowly back into his forearms as Deathstrike and Spellbind became as ethereal as the mist they had appeared from. Yuriko's final words hung heavily around the room as Jubilee stalked forward, dismissing her fireworks with a casual wave of her hand.

"Well, you really know how to pick 'em, don't you, Wolvie? They're as mad as a box of frogs. Both of 'em. A psychiatrist could retire comfortably on the proceeds from just one of 'em alone."

"You … you _know_ those people?" Mr Marsters was staring at the spot where Deathstrike and Spellbind had stood just moments before, his face white.

"Only one of 'em." Wolverine glared accusingly at the fog and turned to his team-mates with a growl. "Yuriko Oyama, now known as Lady Deathstrike. She's bad news. Death an' mayhem stick to her like fleas to a dog."

"She ….. she had … she had _claws_ for hands ….." David was clearly rattled by the whole experience, hardly able to iterate what he wanted to say. " ….. And ….. and _you_ …"

"She hates you." It was a statement of fact, not a question. Logan looked steadily back into Mrs Marsters clear but frightened eyes.

"Yes." He saw no reason to skirt around the subject.

"She said you have something of hers."

"Not entirely true, but ….."

"Then for heaven's sake, man, give it back! Don't you understand what's happening here? She's going to kill us all for something that's not our fault! Call her back! Give her whatever it is you've stolen!"

Mrs Marsters suddenly found herself staring at three razor sharp blades not three inches from her face. Behind them, Logan's fury clearly shone in his eyes, which had darkened to almost feral black.

Nikki screamed and Mr Marsters made a grab for his wife, pulling her back from the mutant's lethal claws. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Ya wanna give _these_ back?" Logan shook his claws, angrily. "Do ya? Do ya think I ever wanted 'em in the first place? Christ, you people make me sick!"

The snap of his claws retracting was loud in the stunned silence that followed his outburst. For just a moment, his eyes sought out those of his mate, his face haunted with words he couldn't convey. Then, with a low growl of discontent, he turned and strode stiffly for the door, where he paused and looked back. "If I were you, I'd think about gettin' some stuff together before this place gets dragged back to where it came from."

With that, he strode through the door, leaving team-mates and civilians alike staring after him in confusion.

Mrs Marsters was the first to recover. "What the hell is wrong with that man? He's dangerous, I tell you! Did you see? He threatened me with those ….. those claws of his! And I only suggested ….."

"Mother!" Kristi pitched her voice a little louder than intended and her mother's mouth snapped shut in shock. Her father started forward, but she held up a hand to keep him back, recognising her anger as her mate's, not her own. "That man," she said, more softly. "has just saved your life, in case you were too busy to notice. And the metal that Deathstrike wants back and which you're so keen for Logan to give up? It's attached to his bones, mother – bonded to his skeleton by men who called themselves civilised and who wanted to create a weapon that couldn't be killed. Men from _our_ government, mom. Men who should have had more compassion for a fellow human being, but who saw only a mutant and dollar signs in front of their eyes." She took a deep breath, determined not to cry. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to see if my mate needs any help."

She didn't dare look back as she left the room, painfully aware that she'd just let the cat completely and irrevocably out of the bag by saying that she and Logan were mated, but it was too late to call the words back now. Resolutely putting her faux pas behind her, she followed her mate's emotions upstairs and found him in her room, angrily stuffing a pair of her jeans into his duffle bag as though he could wrestle them into submission. The rest of his and Remy's clothes lay in an untidy heap on her bed.

Kristi cocked her head to the side, smiling gently. "I don't think they're in any fit state to argue with you, Logan," she remarked, gesturing at the pummelled jeans.

Logan snorted and tossed the duffle onto the bed, running a hand distractedly through his hair and sending it into wild disarray. "I ….. I'm sorry for what happened back there, Kris. It ….. it's this place. It's all wrong ….. sending my senses screwy. I ….. I wouldn't have hurt your mom."

"I know. It's okay." Kristi left the door open behind her and walked to her mate, enfolding him in a hug, surprised by his rare show of insecurity. "It's okay," she repeated, soothingly.

Logan allowed the hug for a brief moment before pulling away and reaching for the duffle once more.

"What're you doing?" Kristi had a fairly good idea, but sensed that she needed to keep the feral talking.

"Packin' some of our stuff." Logan crammed a pair of his own jeans into the bag on top of hers. "We've no idea how long we're gonna be here an' our uniforms ain't gonna hold out forever."

Kristi raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You actually think we're gonna get out of this alive?"

Logan paused, his face determined. "Yeah. Don't you?" He turned as Nikki poked her head in at the open door. "Whaddaya want, kid?"

Nikki shuffled her feet, nervously. The feral's outburst had revealed himself to her in a new light, but she still felt the need to accept him for what he was, despite being more than first met the eye. "I ….. um … I came to see if everything was okay and if I could help."

"Ya can help by givin' this to yer dad." Logan thrust Gambit's empty duffle into her hands. "Tell him to fill it with food. Nothin' perishable, mind. An' nothin' fancy. An' tell yer brother to come up here an' fill Jubilee's bag with clothes fer yer family. It's on her bed."

Nikki nodded and made to go, only to duck back when Logan called her name. "Tell 'em to hurry," he added, urgently. "I don't think we've got much time left."

Nikki scampered off downstairs with the duffle. Seconds later, David's feet thumped up the stairs and headed into Jubilee's bedroom.

"How long do you think we've got?" asked Kristi, rolling up one of Remy's shirts and handing it to her mate.

"Not long," Logan responded, decidedly. He paused, looking out of the window at the rolling mist. "Funny thing is, I can't help thinkin' I've been here before. I remember ….. someone ….. an' a door ….."

"Did the door lead back home?" asked Kristi, hopefully.

"I don't know." Logan shook his head dismissively and zipped up the now full duffle. "Come on."

He took one step and staggered as the house suddenly seemed to be wrenched sideways. Kristi grabbed at his arm for balance and a scream sounded from the lounge.

"What the hell was that?" Kristi looked around, fearfully, as the room steadied.

"Christ, I think we've just run outta time." Logan set off at a run, catching himself with a hand on the door jamb as the floor tilted crazily beneath his feet. "We gotta get out, Kris, before it's too late!"

In the hallway, they almost collided with David, who was clutching Jubilee's duffle in front of him like a life preserver. His face was ashen and there was an unmistakable look of fear in his eyes.

"Go fer the door!" Logan yelled at him. "Don't look back! Just go!"

David ran, almost falling down the last two steps in his haste. Kristi and Logan were right behind him. In the downstairs hallway, they separated, David bolting for the front door and the two X-Men heading for the lounge. Mr Marsters was just coming out, the rest of his family behind being herded by Jubilee.

Logan fell into step beside his young partner as Kristi stopped to help her father with his bag. "Where's the Cajun?"

"He's already outside," Jubilee assured him and Logan nodded, acknowledging his team-mate's common sense in securing their retreat. He startled as Mrs Marsters clutched at his arm.

"My son?" she demanded, fear for her son momentarily blocking out her hatred for the feral.

"He's out." Logan gave her a push to get her moving. "Go!"

The hallway seemed to spin crazily around them as they bolted for the door and Logan, his senses grounded in reality, resisted the urge to throw up. Mrs Marsters wailed in terror as the walls buckled inwards as if seeking to enclose them and when the floor bucked beneath their feet and tripped Nikki who was running just in front of him, the feral bent and scooped her up into his arms without breaking pace.

"Hurry, mon ami!" Gambit was standing at the open door, beckoning them on with his staff. A brace of playing cards glowed in his other hand. "De house, it is collapsing, _non?"_

There was a brief scuffle in the doorway as both Kristi and her father tried to get through the door at the same time and the bag got caught between them, but Gambit grabbed the duffle and pulled them through and the others fell out of the doorway and into the fog with just seconds to spare. The house seemed to contract and fold in on itself and then, with a soft whump of displaced air, it was gone ….

David dropped his duffle onto the ground with a thump. "Jesus!" His knees gave out and he sank to the floor beside the bag, staring at the clearing in the fog the house had occupied just moments before. The mist moved quickly in, eager to claim new ground. "Jesus Christ!"

"My house!" Mrs Marsters looked shellshocked. "My things! It's all gone!"

"It's gone back, mom. Gone back home. It'll be safe." Kristi hoped she wasn't telling a lie.

Mr Marsters was peering around them, fearfully. "What happens now? I seem to remember someone saying it was dangerous to go into the fog ….." He trailed off, swallowing audibly in the following silence.

"We keep movin'." Logan set Nikki's feet on the ground and hoisted his duffle into a comfortable position on his shoulder. "There's gotta be a way home. All we gotta do is find it."

"But which way do we go?" Mrs Marsters moved to lean heavily on her husband, taking comfort from his closeness.

"Any way is good, right?" asked Nikki, waving a hand in front of her face to clear the mist and failing miserably. She took a step away from the group. "Come on! Follow me!" She turned back to beckon to her sister …..

….. and screamed as something small, scaly and multi-fanged leapt straight for her throat …..

**NEXT:** Expect the unexpected!


	12. What Lurks Within

Hello, everyone! Welcome to another chapter!

**Logan's Wolverettes: **Once again, my faithful readers have done me proud! Many thanks to **bluedragon1836, The Scratch Man, Sniktchick, nileena, Sarra Ambrai, Laudine, FrozenVoices, 12kirby12, wolverina32 **and a big 'Hello' to **daddygirl!**

So, without further ado, it's time to enter the mist and see what evils lie within ... ! Onward!

**ooXoo**

**12. What Lurks Within**

Nikki screamed, ducking instinctively as the creature sprang for her throat, its teeth bared and dripping saliva. Thanks to her quick thinking, it missed its target completely and landed behind her, growling at the affront and scrabbling at the ground with its thick claws in its haste to come about and try again. Recovering quickly, the muscles in its powerful hindquarters bunched as it prepared to leap once more. But with the element of surprise gone, it found the X-Men closing ranks in front of its intended prey and it bared its teeth at Jubilee, hissing malevolently. Singling the girl out as the smallest target and therefore the least likely to be able to defend itself, it sprang once more.

A spread of fireworks arrested its forward motion, knocking it back and straight into the lethal upward sweep of Gambit's staff. There was a sharp crack as its skull connected fatally with the adamantium weapon wielded by the Cajun, the impact sending it careening towards his feral team-mate, where the creature met a final and rather gory end on Wolverine's claws.

Kristi's mother retched as the two halves of the creature writhed on the ground in violent death throes.

"What the hell is _that?"_ Nikki poked at the creature's hindquarters with the toe of her sneaker and was duly pulled away by her father. "Is it a rat? An ape? It looks like a cross between the two."

"Only bigger and with more teeth," added Jubilee, as Logan cleaned his claws with a handful of grass before allowing them to retract. Normally, the act of sheathing them cleaned off any blood and gore left on them, but he was unwilling to run the risk of the creature having a strange chemical – or even a disease – in its blood that could be inadvertently carried into his body. His healing factor would no doubt be able to cope with any possible infection, but a serious virus could affect his ability to fight at 100% efficiency and that simply wasn't an option right now.

Logan tossed the bloodied clump of grass to the ground with a snort. Gambit was on his knees at the head end of the creature, studying its claws.

"Deathstrike spoke of creatures dat could strip flesh down to de bone," he remarked, sourly. "Dis must be one o' dem." He stood, retracting his staff down to its smaller length with a flick of his wrist. "Ugly critter, _non?"_

"Are there more of them out there?" David peered into the fog, fearfully, hugging his duffle.

Wolverine sniffed the air. "They're all around us. Probably holdin' back to see what we're gonna do." He shoved the body with his boot. "This one most likely felt brave enough to attack without the support of its fellows." He snorted. "Big mistake."

"We're going to die, aren't we?" Gordon Marsters put an arm around his green-faced wife and hugged her close. "Those creatures are coming to get us and we're all going to die here."

"No, yer not gonna die, fer Chrissakes." Wolverine tossed him a glare. "What yer gonna do is stay calm an' stop panicking yer family."

"_I'm_ not panicked." Nikki crossed her arms defiantly and stared back at the feral. "I'm plenty scared, I'll admit that, but I'm _not_ panicked. Your team will save us, right?" She fixed the feral with a look that suggested he'd better not fail them and then turned to her sister, hopefully. "Right?"

"De X-Men will try, petite. Dat is all we can promise." Gambit shouldered Gordon's food duffle and looked around at his fellows. "We better get movin', _non?"_

"I wonder if this fog goes all the way up?" Jubilee was gazing into the fog enshrouded sky, her expression thoughtful. "Maybe it thins out up there?"

"If it does, I might be able to spot a landmark or something to aim for," added Kristi. She turned to her mate, deferring to his judgement. "Logan?"

Her mate immediately shook his head. "No, Kris, yer not flyin' up there. Or anywhere else, fer that matter. There's no tellin' what flyin' critters could be lurkin' up there an' if ya get into trouble none of us can come an' get ya out. No, what we're gonna do is stick together an' put up a united front an' maybe those creatures out there will think twice about tryin' ta take us fer a tasty snack. I don't want anyone going off half-cocked. Y'hear me, kid?" He glowered at Nikki and she poked her tongue out at him. The feral dutifully ignored her. "I want the men to carry the bags." As he and Gambit had already shouldered two of the duffles he glanced to David, who nodded hesitantly. "I'll take point. Cajun, you take the rear. Jubilee, Wildstar, I want you in flankin' positions." Kristi nodded and Jubilee threw him a perky thumbs-up. "If anything comes at ya from your side, you sing out. Get it?" There were nods of affirmation all round and, while Gambit began forming everyone up with the civilians in the middle, he gestured Mr Marsters away from his family, walking him a little way out of earshot.

"There's something I want you to do fer me, okay?" Logan glanced back at the group to make sure they weren't being overheard, and Mr Marsters waited expectantly. He had seen what this man could do – had seen the claws that had separated the ape-thing's body so cleanly, like a hot knife through butter, and he knew he was a man not to be trifled with and that scared him. But he also knew that if he and his family were going to have any chance of surviving and returning home safe and well, he had to trust the man with the razor sharp claws and temper to match, no matter what it cost him. The feral and his X-Men were their only hope.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked, as Wolverine turned back.

"I want you to watch over your family for me," Logan told him, frankly. "Me an' my team-mates will do everything in our power to keep you safe but, when push comes to shove, we may be too busy to give more'n a passing interest as to yer whereabouts. Ya gotta keep yer people together, Gordon. Keep 'em from under our feet in case they get hurt." It was the first time the feral had used the other's Christian name and he did it so that Kristi's father could see the importance of his words. "Don't let 'em wander, especially the kid. She's too damn nosy fer her own good, that one. An' if I give an order – any order – you obey it without question, y'hear? I won't have ya hesitating an' riskin' the life o' one o' my team."

"One of your team just happens to be _my_ daughter, remember?" Gordon smiled to lessen the harshness of his words and stuck out his hand. "I understand what you need me to do. And I want to thank you for putting yourselves on the line to save us."

Logan eyed the hand but refused to take it. "Save it till we get home," he remarked, testily. "Come on, we gotta get movin'."

Mrs Marsters reached for her husband as he and the feral rejoined the group, her face still slightly green and her eyes wide and frightened. Making sure that his team were in position and the civilians were protected, Logan took the point and slowly and deliberately began to walk into the fog, leading the way to what he hoped was possible salvation and not certain death. Deathstrike had promised that none of them would survive – it was his fervent wish to disappoint her.

Walking into the fog was the single most unnerving thing he had done in a long time. He could see no more than four feet from his own face, yet every so often the impenetrable wall would thin, giving a less than reassuring glimpse of dark shapes moving in the near distance. He knew they were being paced by the creatures – his keen hearing could pick up the unmistakable sound of their furtive footsteps and excited squealing. They smelled rabid – they were hungry, but fear of the unknown had so far prompted them to keep their distance. Yet he knew it was only a matter of time before another brave soul took it upon itself to launch another attack and the whole pack would be galvanised into action.

As bad as it was for Wolverine, he knew it was infinitely worse for the civilians. They walked almost as though glued together, their faces set and their eyes constantly darting from left to right, fearing the unseen terrors of the fog. Even the normally stoic Nikki had been pressured into silence. She walked on Kristi's side of the formation, occasionally tossing furtive glances towards her sister, as if fearing she would suddenly abandon her family and fly away. Logan could sense his mate's concern for her family, but grim determination to keep them all safe over-rode it all and the feral allowed his shields to slip slightly, giving her access to his very essence and the calm assurance that he would allow no harm to come to them as long as there was breath in his body. The pulse of love and devotion he received in return told him she'd got the message.

The smooth grass underfoot – presumably what was left of the Marsters' lawn – gave way to open grassland, which eventually became strewn with rocks and hidden gullies. Logan was forced to slow his pace – thick undergrowth disguised the dangers hidden beneath and the last thing they needed was for someone to fall and break an ankle. Small scrubby bushes began to materialise out of the gloom and once he heard and smelled a small stream bubbling in the distance. He was tempted to head to it and allow everyone to rest for a while, but getting everyone to safety was a priority and, while they were still in the fog, no one was safe. Something – call it instinct or a hunch – was telling him that the fog would eventually dissipate as long as they kept moving and, although he had no idea why, he knew that once they were clear of the fog, that terrible feeling of evil that gnawed insistently at his mind would bother him no longer.

They layout of the land began to change around them, becoming steadily more verdant and, as a consequence, steadily more treacherous. A thick patch of brambles, hidden by the fog, almost seemed to reach out for them as they passed, snagging Mrs Marsters' elegant trousers and almost tripping her to the ground. Logan was forced to halt as her husband and younger daughter immediately dropped to their knees and began tugging on the stems in an effort to free her from the barbs of the vicious plant and he peered anxiously into the shifting mist as the growls and yips of the following creatures took on a hopeful note.

"Come on, come on," he urged, looking back at the civilians.

"We're trying ….." Gordon barely glanced around as he struggled with the brambles entangling his wife's legs. "The blasted things keep springing back. It's like they've got a mind of their own ….."

"Dammit!" Logan cast a baleful glare into the fog and strode to Gordon's side, where he knelt and unsheathed a single claw. Slowly, so as not to alarm the man's already skittish wife, he cut away the brambles, clearing them back so that Gordon and Nikki could pull them away from the woman's legs. The barbs were sharp and dug deep and their fingers ran with blood as they worked.

A low whistle from Gambit abruptly attracted the feral's attention. "Hate to say dis, but we got movement here, boss."

"And here!" Jubilee summoned a couple of fireworks and held them ready as the shapes in the fog grew more distinct.

Logan swore colourfully and slowly got to his feet, pulling back until he was covering the civilians. He had been afraid of this – the creatures had been shadowing their prey in the hopes of taking them unawares. Now, with Mrs Marsters hung up on the brambles, they had sensed a potential weakness in their prey and were massing to attack.

The feral spat on the grass as if marking his territory. "Hold your ground," he told the civilians. "Keep tight an' whatever you do, keep outta the way o' my claws. The rest o' you, spread out but hold your positions." He raised his voice for the benefit of the other X-Men. "You're our first line o' defence. If they get through you, they'll have to deal with me."

"Oh my god ….." Mrs Marsters clutched at her son's arm in terror, as the howling of the creatures grew louder and steadily more insistent. "Please ….. save us ….."

"That's the plan, lady." Logan unsheathed his remaining five claws with a flick of his wrists, holding them calmly at his sides. He knew the X-Men were vastly out-numbered and hampered by having the civilians to protect, but he allowed a feral grin to lighten his features.

These were exactly Logan's kind of odds.

The calm before the storm was abruptly shattered by Gambit unleashing a brace of glowing playing cards from his side of the formation. "Heads up, _mon ami!_ Here dey come!" The cards exploded among the creatures' leading ranks, wrecking havoc on their number. They howled and hissed at the bodies, before taking courage at their prey's apparent vulnerability and charging once more. With practised ease, the Cajun kept them back, sending his explosive missiles to harass and confuse the leaders with deadly accuracy. Bit by bit, his body count increased.

As the creatures on all sides of the little group attacked – goaded into action by either their hunger or their thirst for bloodshed – Wildstar and Jubilee were forced into the fray. Wildstar powered up in an explosion of golden light, causing her father to gasp in awestruck amazement. As she began to rain deadly destruction onto the creatures rushing towards her, he turned to his wife, clutching at her arm in his urgency.

"Look at her, Linda. Just look! That's our daughter! She ….. she's magnificent!"

Logan turned, the light of pride shining in his blue eyes. "You'd better believe it. She's an X-Man, Bub. Don't you forget it."

It didn't seem likely that her family would have the chance to forget, as Wildstar and her team-mates treated them to a display of power the likes of which they had never seen before. Overwhelmed by the screech of Gambit's kinetically charged missiles coupled with the crack of fireworks and the explosive force of Kristi's starbolts, Mrs Marsters sank to her knees among the brambles, pressing her hands to her ears. Nikki stood beside her with a hand on her mother's shoulder, lending her support even as she gaped at the battle raging around her in fascination. To hear about the X-men in action was one thing – to actually _see_ them in action was quite another.

As impressive as the first line of defence's firepower was, sheer weight of numbers meant that the creatures began to slip through. And now Wolverine went into action, his claws flashing as they dealt out swift and bloody justice. Like a man possessed, he flowed from one kill to the other, allowing his feral side to guide his movements, knowing they were just one step away from being over-run.

A flash of movement to his left caught his eye just seconds before one of the creatures leapt for his throat. He whipped his claws up to defend, but they never had the chance to meet their intended target, as the creature was felled by a stone that hit it right between the eyes. Wolverine pinned it to the ground with fifty-four inches of adamantium death before spinning around to see Nikki lob another stone at a creature that was trying to creep up on Jubilee's unprotected back. He swore under his breath before springing for another of the ape-things as it tried to slip in on his blind side. The girl had absolutely no idea of how to lay low and obey orders but, all the same, he appreciated the assist.

The outer line of defenders was gradually forced inwards by sheer weight of numbers. With no room to throw missiles, Gambit had no choice but to utilise his staff, swinging left and right, cracking skulls and limbs alike with deadly precision. Wolverine found himself fighting back to back with Jubilee, who's fireworks were useless at close range – they could injure friend as well as foe if misplaced. Wildstar had taken to the air, where she could still rain down golden destruction on the creatures below, but her vantage point gave her a sickening view – her team-mates were about to be engulfed by a tidal wave of teeth and claw and more of the creatures were pouring out of the fog every second, summoned by the promise of victory and a tasty meal.

Wolverine saw their imminent defeat in the eyes of the creatures surrounding him and Jubilee and knew they only had one chance to live. Allowing his shields to drop, he sought his mate and reached out with the essence of his feral nature ….

"Wildstar! Link with me! _Now!"_

Kristi wheeled in the air, feeling her mate establish their link even as he yelled to her. The feral's wild nature surged into her mind, but their connection tempered and controlled it, allowing him to retain his humanity while still maintaining the best of his animal instincts and natural ferocity. Apart, they were powerful X-Men in their own right. Linked, they were nature personified.

They were unstoppable …..

Together, they were known – despite all Wolverine's best efforts to put a stop to it – as Wolvestar.

Jubilee punched the air dramatically as Kristi adjusted her altitude and returned to the ground. The firecracker knew what was to come and her eyes were shining in obvious excitement and expectation. Gambit had now pulled back to cover her family at close quarters along with Logan and Jubilee, their assault never faltering even as Kristi landed beside them.

She spread her arms dramatically, already gathering her power within herself. "Keep everyone back," she demanded, her voice betraying the roughness of the feral influence within her. "This isn't going to be pretty."

Her power sang within her, demanding release, but Kristi let it build as long as she dared before releasing it in her blistering signature starwave. It radiated outwards in an ever increasing circle, flooring everything in its path. Yet despite all the limbs it broke and the heads it knocked senseless, not a single creature was killed. Kristi Marsters – also known as Wildstar of the X-Men – was many things, but she was not a killer.

Her starwave spent, she powered down, panting a little at the exertion. The stunned silence coming from her family behind her was broken by a startled exclamation from her father.

"My god! What the hell was that?"

"Explanations later." Wolverine yanked Mrs Marsters to her feet and pushed her towards her husband. "Get going. Those creatures won't stay down forever – we gotta get to safe ground."

"But what about …..?" David broke off, staring at his sister, helplessly, but Wolverine was already goading them into motion.

"I said, get going! Move! _Now!"_

Galvanised by the undisguised urgency in the feral's voice, Gordon took his wife's arm and fled, leading her through the bodies, stumbling blindly into the fog. The X-Men and the rest of his family followed closely behind, desperate to reach some form of safety before the creatures regained control of their faculties. Already, those on the outer edge of Kristi's starwave were beginning to stir and they snapped at the X-Men's legs as they ran past, seeking to bring them down. A few well-placed fireworks from Jubilee kept most of them at bay, and Gambit dealt with the ones who were not so easily persuaded, the business end of his staff teaching them the error of their ways.

With his long legs, the Cajun easily outpaced the rest of the group, taking the point to be on hand should anything nasty be lurking ahead. He was prepared for whatever the fog might throw at him, but what he encountered stunned him into shocked immobility.

"What de hell …..?"

He rocked forward as Gordon slammed into his back, unable to stop himself in time. Gambit put out a hand to steady the other man as, one by one, the others joined them, their faces registering surprise and confusion at what they saw …..

The fog lay behind them, ending abruptly almost as though cut by a knife, its leading edge stretching away to left and right like a supernatural wall. Before them, rolling grassland dipped down into a picture postcard valley, at the bottom of which wound a blue river, glittering in the sunshine. In the distance, a range of snow-capped mountains reached up to the cloudless sky, rising majestically from a forest of verdant pine trees. The air was pure and clean and carried the scent of wildflowers.

It was a complete contrast to the evil miasma of the fog.

David dropped his duffle on the ground, his eyes following a flotilla of blue-winged butterflies as they chased each other across the grass. "But what ….? Where ….. ?" He shook himself, visibly. "God-dammit, where are we?"

"You really expectin' an answer to dat question, _mon ami?"_

"Are we home?" asked Nikki, hopefully.

Kristi shook her head. "I don't think so."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because _our_ world doesn't have two moons." Kristi pointed up and along the length of the valley and everyone followed her finger to see the two unfamiliar satellites low in the sky. There was a chorus of startled exclamations and Nikki rolled her eyes. "Well, duh," she snorted. "It's so obvious when you point it out."

With everyone's attention focused on the moons, only Jubilee spotted the figure strolling up the valley towards them, as she paused to adjust her sunglasses. She raised them just to make sure she wasn't seeing things, and then elbowed her partner sharply in the ribs.

"Wolvie! Look!"

Still feral and linked with Kristi, Wolverine didn't try to stop the growl that rose in his chest as he stepped forward to intercept the newcomer. Behind him, his team-mates closed ranks to cover Kristi's family, although they wisely chose not to display any evidence of their mutant abilities. The girl walking calmly towards them with a serene smile on her face, as though welcoming long lost friends home to stay, didn't look the slightest bit threatening, but the X-Men had seen a lot of strange things in their hectic and often violent past and they couldn't rule out the possibility that the girl was evil in disguise.

Logan cocked his head to the side as the girl drew nearer, studying her intently. She was young – about twenty – with a slim build and a shock of red hair which tumbled around her shoulders in soft curls. Starkly at odds with her surroundings, she wore a flowing white gown from some by-gone age, which swished through the grass as she walked and she was carrying a red rose.

Try as he might, Logan couldn't shake the bizarre feeling that he knew her in some way, yet his memory held no recollections of her.

She twirled the flower's stem between her fingers as she stopped just feet away, her face breaking into a bright smile.

"Hello, Logan," she said, in a voice like honeyed silk. She held out her hand to the startled feral. "I've been waiting for you ….."

**NEXT:** Who is the girl with red hair? Logan tries to find out …..


	13. A Girl with Red Hair

Hello, everyone! Welcome to a new chapter! Before we go on to the reviews, I must tell you that I am in a state of heightened exitement! Why, I hear you ask? Because Jubilee is back! Yay! The perky firecracker is back where she belongs in the pages of the latest X-men offering, 'Curse of the Mutants'! Those of you who know me well will remember that I am a die-hard Wolvie and Jubilee fan, so I have high hopes that Jubes' return will rekindle their doomed relationship! Not that it was ever kindled in the first place, but a girl can dream, can't she? And with both Wolvie and Jubilee currently being under the influence of a vampire virus, anything could happen - and I'm seriously hoping it does!

In honour of Jubilee's return, you may like to know that I have been working on a new story focusing on the feral and his firecracker! It's been banging around in my head for quite some time and has finally demanded to be let free! It's entitled 'Captive Rage' and the first chapter should be ready to upload in a few days' time, so I hope you will join me for its maiden voyage!

**Logan's Wolverette's: **Back to the normal schedule now, and I send a heartfelt "Thank you!" to all my faithful readers! - **Sarra Ambrai, FrozenVoices, Laudine, daddygirl, nileena, 12kirby12** and **The Scratch Man! **And a big "Hello!" to **Anindoufu! **Two more reviews and you can join the ranks of the world famous Wolverettes!

Several guesses have been made as to the identity of the girl with red hair - no one's got it yet! Keep going! And now ... Onward! Our story awaits ...!

**ooXoo**

**13. A Girl with Red Hair**

"Who the hell are you?" Logan held his body tensed on the balls of his feet, ready to spring should the need arise. "How do you know my name?"

The girl smiled, seemingly unperturbed by the feral's show of bluster. She held out her hand as a small, brightly coloured bird flew by, letting it alight on her finger. "I've known your name for as long as you have, Logan, but the details of that aren't important right now. What is important is that we all get to safety before night falls and the snare-rats come out to hunt."

"Snare-rats?" asked Nikki, leaning sideways to peer around Logan's hunched body. The feral pushed her back behind him with a grunt.

The girl gestured towards the fog, unsettling the bird which flew off towards the valley. "You've already made their acquaintance in there," she remarked, easily. "If you don't wish to do so again, I suggest moving from this place."

"Nobody's going anywhere, girl, until you answer my question," growled Logan, his eyes narrowed and his hackles obviously rising. "So I say again: who are you? How do we know we can trust you?"

"Can't you smell my sincerity, Logan?" The girl's eyes twinkled mischievously as she took a step forward, deliberately confronting the feral with calm assurance. "Have your senses dulled over the years? There was a time you could sniff out a single peanut in a store room full of dried fish."

"Still can." Logan allowed a discontented growl to rumble in his chest, thrown by the girl's casual familiarity of him. The truth was, his senses had already confirmed she was no threat to them – she carried no weapons and her words held the ring of truth about them. He could sniff out a lie simply by concentrating on the subtle changes in a person's body chemistry. Lying caused a body to sweat, their mouth to go dry and their breath to smell, and a hundred other little clues that only a feral's enhanced senses could pick up on. The girl smelled only of rain showers and roses – she smelled ….. familiar ….. and he couldn't understand why.

"Remy, he t'ink we should trust de girl." The Cajun stepped forward, a bright and welcoming smile lightening his handsome features.

"And the reason for that is?" Gordon looked anxiously back and forth between the members of the X-Men. "Look, I don't want to be Mr Paranoid here, but how do we know she's going to help us? How do we know she won't lure us all into some lonely spot where her companions can pick us off at their leisure?"

"Because I _know,_ that's why." Wolverine glowered at the civilian, unable to explain his reasons but willing the man to follow his lead. Gordon stared back for a second or two before finally shaking his head and moving away to stand with his wife and son. He knew next to nothing about the feral's abilities to smell a lie, but he knew enough not to argue when his mind was set.

The decision made, Logan relaxed his stance slightly, allowing the girl to move closer. She smiled and touched his arm as she passed by, sending tingles like electricity rippling along the limb despite the thickness of his leather jacket and reaffirming his suspicions that he knew the girl in some way. The connection was there, somewhere, buried deep in the shattered fragments of his memory, but he couldn't access it.

"That's it? We trust her just because you say so? What about what happened in there?" David trembled slightly as he looked back at the fog pulsing obscenely behind them. His father tried to shush him but the young man shrugged him off. "No, dad, this isn't right. Shouldn't we all vote on this?"

"This ain't a damn democracy, boy." Logan strode back to the group, moving to stand possessively at Kristi's side. His mate was staring at the newcomer with open curiosity and he belatedly realised the pair of them were still linked – she would be able to sense his familiarity with the girl and was understandably piqued. Abruptly, he severed the link, watching Kristi blink and shake her head at the suddenness of it. He snorted at the look she gave him and then turned his attention pointedly to the girl.

"You've earned our co-operation for the time being," he growled. "But cross us or show any sign o' treachery an' our alliance will be ended."

The girl nodded, a tiny smile tilting her lips. "Fair enough." She pointed down the valley. "We should try to make the safety of the river at least, by nightfall. The grasslands are not safe after dark."

"Nightfall?" asked Jubilee, frowning. "But the river doesn't look to be that far away and it's still early."

"One thing you will learn, my young friend, is that time moves differently here." The girl hesitated and looked up into the sky, indicating the twin moons. "This is not the world you knew. The normal rules of time and space do not apply."

"Bummer," snorted Jubilee, frankly. "Isn't that just typical?"

"So where exactly _are_ we then?" asked Nikki, as the girl began to lead the way down the valley. Jubilee and Nikki were right beside her, their young minds intrigued by the promise of new things to discover, but the rest of the group followed at a slower pace, straggling a little because of the civilians' fatigue.

"Where are we?" repeated the girl. She gestured grandly around her. "This is the world between the living and the dead. Lady Deathstrike told you the truth."

"You know about that?" asked Jubilee, in surprise.

"Of course. This is my domain. I know of everything that happens here." There was no boast to her words – it was simply a statement of fact.

"So. We know _where _we are. But you still haven't answered de Wolverine's question." Gambit moved forward to put himself in the girl's line of sight. "Who are _you?_ What is your name?"

"My name?" She glanced down at the rose in her hand, smiling gently as if in remembrance of another place. "My name is lost in time and memory and only the one who holds it in his heart can retrieve it. But if you want – or need – to call me something, then I will answer to the name that Logan used. Call me …. Girl."

**oooOOOooo**

As they walked, it quickly became clear that time and space did indeed behave differently in their new world. The river, which had appeared to be no further than a two hour hike away, seemed to grow more distant with every step yet the mountains loomed above them. Wolverine's inner clock told him the time was almost noon, but the sky above was darkening ominously, signalling the onset of night. Eerie yips and howls echoing from the fog they had left behind had them speeding up the pace and looking around uneasily.

Wolverine ranged ahead, fearing an ambush and unwilling to accept the girl's assurances that they were safe until the moons set. As he loped away, he re-established the link between himself and his mate, thus allowing him to keep a watchful eye on the rest of his team while he scouted. If anyone – or any _thing _– attacked while he was away, the link would warn him instantly. He hoped it wouldn't come to that – the girl had promised to get them to safety and he had accepted her words without question – but the link gave him a distinct advantage over any malcontents who may decide to cause mischief on his team-mates in his absence.

The moment Wolverine disappeared from sight, Kristi sensed her mother approaching and turned to acknowledge her, reining in her apprehension so as not to transmit this over the link. Her father, following closely behind his wife, looked drawn and anxious, but it was he who spoke first as they moved into position at either side of their daughter, unconsciously making her feel as though she was being prevented from fleeing like a skittish doe.

"Kristi, we need to talk."

"About what?" she asked, cautiously. She had her suspicions, but didn't want to voice them until she knew for sure.

Her worst fears, however, were confirmed by her father's next words.

"I think you know what I'm referring to, Kristi." Gordon took hold of his daughter's arm, forcing her to a halt and pulling her around to face him. "That ….. that thing you did back there. What the hell was it?"

"Dad, please ….." Kristi eased her arm free of her father's grasp as Gambit turned and gave her an inquiring look. She shook her head to let him know she was in no need of assistance and resumed walking, forcing her parents to trot to catch up or risk being left behind. "Can't we discuss this later, when we're safe?"

"No, Kristi." Her father was quietly adamant. "What you did was ….. well, it was astounding and it needs to be discussed. We had no idea you were capable of such explosive power."

"Don't be afraid, sweetheart," added her mother gently, trying to be supportive but only making matters worse. "We can understand your need to be defensive, but this has absolutely nothing to do with Wolverine."

Kristi sighed, sadly. "You're wrong, mom, this has _everything _to do with Wolverine." She took a deep breath and steeled herself, realising that the time had come to tell her mother about her true relationship with the Wolverine whether she liked it or not. She would have preferred a more amicable setting – a quiet room where the three of them could talk it out over cups of coffee was far more civilised than a grassy hillside where they were under threat of attack at any moment. But beggars couldn't be choosers, and at least her mother couldn't storm off and lock herself in her bedroom if she heard something she didn't like.

Kristi had the distinct feeling that nothing she had to say would be to her mother's liking…..

She raised her chin and forced herself to smile. "I'm more than just Logan's girlfriend, mom. I'm his mate."

Mrs Marsters looked astounded. "His ….. his mate? Kristi, what on Earth are you talking about? Animals have mates, not human beings."

Kristi felt her father shift uncomfortably at her opposite side but, with her options limited, she had no choice but to forge ahead.

"Logan is more than a mutant, mom. He's also feral. And ferals take mates. When they find the one that completes their existence, they bond with them."

She paused to gauge the effect of her words on her mother. Mrs Marsters looked shocked and bewildered, but otherwise seemed to be taking this latest revelation rather well, Kristi thought. It was bound to go belly-up before much longer, she suspected.

Mrs Marsters shook her head in confusion. "I don't understand, Kristi. What are you trying to say? And what does this have to do with your power?"

"That power – my starwave – comes from my bond with Logan, mom. I wouldn't be able to do it if it weren't for him. You see, we have the ability to link – to become one." She glanced sideways to see her mother watching her intently, her expression unreadable. Kristi moistened her lips, nervously. "In our normal state, we have an awareness of each other – we can sense each others emotional state and feelings. But when linked, we both enter a heightened level of our mutation – I can produce my starwave and Logan can remain in control even though he is completely feral."

Mrs Marsters had covered her mouth with her hand. "My god ….." she breathed.

Kristi held out her hand, beseechingly. "It's okay, mom, the bond isn't anything to be afraid of. It's perfectly natural ….."

"To you, maybe, but what about to us?" Mrs Marsters recoiled from the hand her daughter was offering as though it was poison. "For heaven's sake, girl, why didn't you tell us about all this? Why did you feel the need to keep us in the dark? Do you think that little of us?"

"Mom, no, I …" Kristi reached out desperately, but her mother took a step back. "I love you and dad – you know I do – but ….." Things were spiralling rapidly out of control and Kristi was helpless to stop it.

"You've changed, Kristi. You're not the daughter I thought I knew." Mrs Marsters' voice was harsh as she pronounced sentence on her own offspring. "This bond with your ….. your _feral_ has altered your judgement somehow and I don't think it's for the best. If this is an example of how people act and change when they join the X-men, then I'm relieved neither David or Nikki have manifested."

And her mother turned away to walk with her son, her face set and determined.

"Mom?" Kristi called after her, but her mother either didn't hear her or chose not to and the young X-Man felt her heart breaking all over again.

A gentle hand on her arm reminded her that her father was still by her side. He had been silent throughout the exchange and now his face was lined and full of concern, truly repentant for the mischief his seemingly innocent inquiry into her wellbeing had wrought.

"Kristi, I ….. I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

"It's okay, dad." Kristi patted his hand absently, feeling a weight of responsibility that belied her tender years. "It was my fault. I should have told you about the link." She sighed, unhappily. "In fact, I should have told you both about the bond right from the start instead of fooling around and putting it off. God, I've made such a mess of this, haven't I?"

Gordon nodded at his daughter. "I'm not going to disagree with you there, Kristi. But everything will work out. I'm sure of it."

"How can you say that, dad?" Kristi threw out a hand, gesturing around them. "Look at us – stranded god-knows-where at the whim of a madwoman! Not only does my mother hate my bondmate but now she thinks I'm evil personified! And it's all my fault! If I hadn't decided to visit home, none of this would have happened. Oh sure, Deathstrike would still have attacked, but it would have been at the mansion and you would never have been involved." Kristi wrung her hands, helplessly. "I should have stayed away. I shouldn't have come home!"

"Don't you say that – ever!" Gordon took hold of his daughter's hands and held them tightly, pulling her to a halt. "You're our eldest daughter, Kristi, and no matter how foolishly your mother is behaving at the moment, we both love you. I would rather be stranded here, with you and your bondmate, than find out later that you had been attacked at the school where I couldn't help you."

Kristi smiled through the tears that were welling up in her eyes. "That's sweet, dad. Really." She thought it best not to admit that the team had been attacked several times since she had moved to the mansion. Instead, she gave his hand a tug. "We'd better get moving. Remy's watching us again."

Her father obligingly fell into step beside her and they walked in silence for a time, Kristi lost in thought as she stared at the back of her mother's head with unseeing eyes. She felt to be standing at the top of a steep and very slippery slope – one wrong step and she would tumble down it and where she would end up was anybody's guess. Things that had seemed so clear to her at the mansion now appeared muddied and fogged beyond all recognition – her relationship with Logan, the bond, her new ability – all these things had been seized upon by her mother and blown out of all proportion. Why was she being so unreasonable? Her reactions were confusing and more akin to those who hated mutant kind than for a woman who's daughter was one of their number. Did she hate Wolverine so much that it could blind her to everything else?

Kristi startled as her father nudged her gently in the side. He smiled apologetically and nodded in the direction they were heading. "Time to put your happy face on, hon. Logan's coming back."

**oooOOOooo**

It wasn't immediately apparent whether Wolverine had returned due to his mate's state of mind or simply because he had scouted as far as he thought he should go, but within minutes of rejoining her he was displaying the typical boorish attitude for which he was so well known among his team-mates. His face darkened and he growled at anyone who came within an arms-length of himself and his mate, causing Gordon to excuse himself and seek safer companionship. Kristi did her best to keep calm and not to dwell on what was upsetting her but, with the link between herself and her mate still open, she knew she was fighting a losing battle. She didn't even have the option of closing it – it had been discovered early on in their relationship that only Logan had the ability to open and close the link between them – and so she found herself a passenger along for the ride as Logan's mood went from bad to worse. As a direct result, her own feelings became darker and more morose, until she was ready to scream herself hoarse with frustration.

Worse, she knew their current attitude wasn't exactly helping her cause as far as her mother was concerned. Her mother obviously considered the bond an aberration and something to be feared or despised – with it currently inciting their own inner demons, Kristi feared they were just adding fuel to the fire.

Jubilee eventually sensed her dilemma and trotted back to join them, squeezing in between the mated pair and pointing out something in the distance that was of no interest whatsoever. Having now seized control of the conversation she proceeded – in the way of all hyper-active youngsters and of Jubilee in general – to distract Wolverine with a constant rush of inane chatter.

It always amazed Kristi how easily Jubilee was able to calm the feral no matter how much of a foul temper he was in. She had seen him lay waste to the Danger Room on several occasions in their short acquaintance, yet all it took was a casual word from his young team-mate to pull him back from the brink of madness. If Kristi had been a jealous minded woman, she would have wondered about his motives, but she was fully understanding of the bond that existed between them. It was nothing like the bond between herself and the feral, of course, but she knew it was no less effective, having being born out of a period of mutual need. The love they held for each other was strong and tempered by the danger that came from the world around them.

Kristi knew she was more than capable of calming her mate herself. She had proved this in a baptism of fire, coaxing her mate back to his senses after being 'seduced' by Vixen into attacking his team-mates. Admittedly, she had been in fear of her life at the time, but instinct had told her exactly what to do to bring her mate back to her. Her success had paved the way to discovery of their linked abilities, which her mother seemed to despise so much and the reason for Kristi's unease of mind. With her thoughts bogged down with 'what if's' and 'why's' she knew she would never have the control needed to calm her own mood, much less her mate's. Consequently, she was willing to allow Jubilee to assist, flashing the youngster a grateful smile when she glanced her way. It wasn't so much cheating, Kristi told herself, as bowing to the superior abilities of a team-mate.

Even if that team-mate was only fourteen …..

It was actually quite liberating to take a back seat and allow Jubilee to run the show for a while. The girl was able to chatter at length about the most mundane of things, all of which Logan endured with the indulgent attitude of a long-suffering father. And when Nikki grew tired of leading the group alongside the girl and dropped back to take up position on Logan's free side, Kristi realised that her mate had acquired yet another admirer. Somehow, Logan's instinctive ability to form attachments had reeled in another willing victim in the form of her own sister. Seeing him trying to divide his attention between the two over-active teenagers made her smile and she sent a fond pulse down the bond, receiving the mental equivalent of a raised eyebrow in return.

With Wolverine feeling calmer and not transmitting his feelings so heavily, Kristi found her own mood improving, although she was puzzled as to why he was leaving the link between them open. She had never been under the direct influence of her mate's mind for so long before and she was shocked to realise that her perceptions of the world around her were beginning to change. Every detail stood out in amazing clarity – distant sounds came easily to her ears and teased her with their origins. Even the air around her smelled so much sweeter. Even without being linked, she had the ability to tap into her mate's fighting techniques and instincts, effectively becoming of one mind. It seemed that this also included, to a lesser degree, his enhanced senses.

Excited at the prospect of experiencing something new, Kristi reached out with her borrowed feral abilities, inhaling the heady manliness of Gambit's cologne, the faint traces of gunpowder that emanated from Jubilee and, as she cast further, the unmistakable scent of something which stirred memories she knew were not her own. Logan trembled fitfully in her mind and she quickly withdrew, turning her attention elsewhere before she could transmit her discovery to her mate and unsettle him once again.

Because now she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she was right. When the girl had approached them from the valley, she'd sensed the stirrings of interest from Logan's mind – felt him trying to understand just why she seemed so familiar to him and desperately trying to access memories that were no longer his to command. But then he had shut down the link and composed his thoughts, and Kristi had been left with the vague impression that she'd imagined it all.

But now she knew she hadn't imagined it after all – Logan _did_ recognise the girl, even if he couldn't remember who she was. And _she_ obviously knew Logan – and extremely well, if her understanding of his feral nature was anything to go by.

Which begged the question; was she a past enemy of Logan's, come to lead them all to their doom, as her father had suggested? Or worse, was she a former lover, intent on reclaiming her man?

Kristi's sudden spike of anger and jealousy made Logan snort and glance her way curiously …

….. And the girl turned around and smiled knowingly …..

**NEXT: **Maybe we should build a campfire? Sing a few songs? Maybe that'll help?


	14. By Firelight

Hello everyone! Welcome to another chapter!

**Logan's Wolverettes: **Once again, a HUGE thank you to everyone who took the time to review! Many thanks to **Anindoufu, 12kirby12, wolverina32, Laudine **and** sagas pen!** And 'hello!' to new reviewer **pheobep3!**

And without further rambling from me, it's time to take up our story! Onward ...

**ooXoo**

**14****. By Firelight**

It was full dark by the time they reached the safety of the river, although Logan's body clock told him it was a little after three in the afternoon. At the girl's request, they collected dry wood from beneath a nearby stand of trees and formed a small fire a few feet from the water's edge, which Jubilee lit with a couple of low level fireworks. In the fire's flickering light, the civilians looked pale and tired and Kristi urged them all to sit before they fell where they stood. She wished they had thought to grab a couple of blankets before they fled the house, but in the absence of those, the grass would have to suffice.

Attention was then turned to the matter of food.

Not knowing what to pack – or how long for – Gordon had panicked and grabbed whatever came to hand and the duffle yielded a loaf of bread, a large block of cheese, two tins of baked beans – which, in the absence of dishes, or anything to heat them in, would have to be eaten straight from the tin – a tuppaware full of slices of cooked beef, two bottles of water, several oranges and apples, a pack of biscuits and a large block of dark chocolate. There were far too many perishables for Logan's liking, but he silently approved the addition of the chocolate – it was just what the civilians needed to improve flagging spirits and he quickly broke off several segments to hand them around.

The cooked meat, tins of beans, biscuits and the majority of the fruit were returned to the duffle, along with the bottles of water – with a river nearby they had no need of the bottled variety. Common sense dictated that they should use up the perishable food first and so the bread and cheese became the main staple of their first meal in the wilderness. The absence of cutlery meant that Wolverine was called upon to slice the bread and cheese with a claw, which he did but only after complaining bitterly about being used as a kitchen utensil. No one paid him much attention and Jubilee, who was handing out the fare, gave him an extra thick slice of cheese to soothe his wounded pride.

It was a meagre meal, eaten in silent reflection, with the crackling of the fire filling in for absent conversation. Afterwards, Wolverine grabbed an apple in lieu of a cigar and leaned back against a tree stump, eyeing the red haired girl over the camp fire, speculatively.

"Okay. What's the story?"

"I can get you home," the girl replied instantly and without preamble. "The way will be long and dangerous but, if you do as I say, you will be safe."

"And you will do this because ….?" asked Gordon, suspiciously, still not sure of the girl's good intentions. "Out of the goodness of your heart?"

"No. Because you do not belong here." The girl gestured around her, ignoring the shocked faces of those seated around the fire. "The between worlds are finely balanced. Your presence here disrupts that balance and promotes disharmony. I am here to lead you home before you do irreparable damage."

"But why do you have to _lead_ us home?" asked David, seizing instantly on the key word. "Can't you just open another portal or something? The way that Deathstrike person did?"

The girl shook her head. "It is not within my abilities to open a portal between worlds. I wish I could, for then I could send you home instantly and our problems would be over." She smiled to lessen the sting of her words. "However, the veils between my worlds and yours occasionally grow thin and it is sometimes possible to pass between them. It is my intention to locate one of these anomalies and send you through."

"An' how you intend to do dat, chere?" Gambit's eyes glittered eerily in the firelight as he posed the all-important question.

"I can sense them. All the inhabitants of the worlds can. It's how the snare-rats knew where you were going to be."

"So all we have to do is find one o' these anomalies o' yours an' we're home an' dry?" growled Wolverine.

The girl cast her eyes downwards to the fire. "In theory, yes."

"In theory?"

"Yes. Getting you through the anomaly will be relatively simple compared to finding one."

"An' why is that?"

"Because they move."

Logan tossed his apple core into the fire, where it popped and threw up a shower of sparks. "Knew there'd be a catch somewhere, darlin'. Never seen the X-Men get outta any kind o' situation without there being some sorta catch involved."

"Well, I'm glad _you're _happy about it," retorted David, huffily. "Me, I'm seeing less to laugh about here."

"I'm not laughin', jus' stating a fact." Logan glared the boy down and dusted off his hands, feeling his claws pricking the skin just behind his knuckles. He was tempted to release them just to ease the pressure, but he knew this wasn't the best time for his blades to make an appearance. No need to spook the civilians. They were nervous enough already.

"So," he continued. "All we gotta do is find one o' these anomalies, huh? Sounds like a plan to me."

"It'll be dangerous," the girl reminded him, carefully. "I can sense the anomalies, but not _where_ they're going to open or _when_ they're going to close. We may find ourselves going in one direction and then having to retrace our steps to go in another when the anomaly closes. There's no telling where our path may lead us. I will do everything I can to protect you all, but you must listen to everything I say. Some of the worlds may look harmless but appearances can be deceiving."

"You keep saying 'worlds'?" observed Jubilee, with a puzzled frown.

The girl nodded. "Yes. For there are many. They are all connected, yet not. It is ….. complicated to explain. You will see for yourself when we pass into the next one tomorrow." She paused and looked downstream into the darkness. "The first of the anomalies lies that way, two worlds over. I would suggest getting some sleep while you can. We will need to set out at first light."

"Sleep? On the ground?" Mrs Marsters looked around at the others in disbelief.

"What, you see a Ramada Inn around here someplace?" Logan knew he wasn't helping his cause any by snapping at the woman, but he couldn't help himself – she was seriously ticking him off. However, sensing his mate's disapproval in his mind, he shrugged out of his fighting jacket – leaving himself bare-chested – and held it out. "Here. Take this. It may help."

Mrs Marsters looked about to refuse it, but Gordon reached out to accept the peace offering, graciously. "Thank you," he said, simply, and meant it.

Remy peered into the darkness surrounding their s humble campsite. "Gambit, he t'ink we should set a watch. In case de rat t'ings come while we sleep, _non?"_

"There's no need, we should be quite safe," pointed out the girl, reasonably. "The snare-rats are afraid of fire – they won't come near while it's burning."

Logan snorted. "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not take that chance." Memories of the creatures' reluctance to back down even in the face of his companions' fire power was still strong in his mind. He turned to the Cajun. "I'll take first watch, Gumbo, an' wake you in four hours."

Gambit nodded and removed his duster, spreading it on the cool grass. Jubilee squealed. "Goody! A camp-out!"

The civilians didn't look quite so enthusiastic as they arranged themselves around the fire and tried to get comfortable on the ground, using the duffle bags and jackets as pillows and makeshift blankets. Nikki was the only one who seemed excited at the prospect of sleeping outdoors and she and Jubilee settled down together, giggling as they draped themselves in the firecracker's duster.

Kristi watched them for a moment, envying their innocence, and then stood, edging slowly around the fire. "My hands and face feel dirty," she announced. "I'm going to the river to wash before I turn in." She glanced shyly at the girl. "Is there anything in the water I should be wary of? Sharks? Crocodiles? Something worse?"

The girl shook her head, smiling gently. "No, it's perfectly safe. This stretch of it, at least."

"Ya want me to come with you?" Logan half rose as his mate passed by, but she waved him down. "I'll be okay. I won't be long and I'll 'call' if I need you. You stay here and guard the troops."

The feral nodded, immediately picking up on her true intent through the bond. Kristi needed a few moments to herself, away from the ever-watchful eyes of her family. She had been on edge all afternoon, essentially putting on an act to fool everyone into thinking she was composed and in control but, in truth, she felt anything _but_ controlled. Her mother's earlier outburst had shook her more than she had first thought and now, on top of all that, she couldn't shake the feeling that the girl was intent on stealing her man. Why else would she suddenly turn up in the middle of nowhere and offer to lead them home? The girl knew Logan from long ago and Kristi was certain her mate suspected this too, although he couldn't remember how or why. Had they been lovers? Kristi almost stumbled as the thought flitted through her mind.

Still linked to her mate, Kristi was able to see her way to the river's edge perfectly well, but she turned as she reached the bank and headed into a small stand of trees which grew nearby, seeking solitude beneath the leafy canopy. Because of the bond, she was never truly alone, but here she felt slightly less on show as she made her way carefully to the edge of the bank and crouched, waggling her hands in the cool water. It was a relief to allow her poise to drop, even for a moment, and she splashed her face vigorously, heedless of the water that wet her hair and trickled down the front of her leather jacket.

When she stood, shaking her head like a dog, she was startled to see the girl standing a few feet away, leaning against a tree and watching her intently. "You're not what I expected at all," the redhead stated, simply.

"I'm not?" Kristi felt herself go on the defensive – something akin to what Logan would call 'her hackles rising'. "What did you expect?"

"I'm not sure." The girl pushed away from the tree and stooped to pluck a flower, peering up at Kristi through lowered lashes. "I always knew Logan would take a mate one day, but I assumed the girl he chose would be ….. stronger."

"I can be strong," retorted Kristi before she could stop herself and then mentally gave herself a kick. She had no reason to defend herself to this person, so why was she doing it? She was the Wolverine's mate and that was all that mattered.

The girl stood slowly, twirling the flower between her fingers. "Do you love him?"

"Excuse me? I hardly think that's any of _your_ business!" Kristi snorted angrily and made to move away, but the girl drew back a step, reaching out desperately with her free hand.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to be forward. Or rude. But I really would appreciate an answer to my question."

Kristi hesitated, torn between simply walking away and giving the girl a piece of her mind. "Why is the answer so important to you?" she asked instead.

The girl lowered her gaze, meekly, and Kristi felt a sudden stirring from the feral side of Logan's psyche, her own understanding of his wild nature recognising the girl's submissive posture as the actions of an underling towards an Alpha. In the sudden realisation of her own dominance, she raised her head haughtily. "Of course I love him," she declared, hotly. "What kind of a mate would I be if I didn't?"

The girl accepted this answer with a thoughtful nod of the head. "I'm glad to hear that," she whispered, softly.

Kristi was thrown by the sincerity in her voice. "Look, just what is all this about? Because I'm sure you didn't follow me just to find out if I love Logan."

"No. You're right." The girl looked down at the flower in her hand and brushed the petals with a gentle finger. "_I _could have been Logan's mate ….. once ….. a long time ago. But I threw it all away for someone else and didn't realise what I'd done until it was too late. I just wanted to know … well, I guess I wanted to know if you deserved him."

Kristi bristled. "That's none of your business!" Angered, she made to leave.

"Kristi, wait! Your name _is_ Kristi, isn't it? Please don't go. I need you to understand something."

Kristi stopped, but didn't turn around. "What?" she demanded.

"You think I'm a treat to you." It wasn't a question but a direct statement, aimed directly at the suspicions that were festering in Kristi's mind.

The young mutant turned, warily. "Are you? Have you come to try and reclaim Logan?" She raised her fists, which were glowing slightly in the darkness. "I warn you, I won't give him up so easily."

Again, the girl lowered her eyes, submissively. "I'm no threat to you, Kristi. I know you can see me in Logan's memories, but I need you to know that I'm not here to come between you."

"How can I be sure of that?"

The girl smiled. "It's quite simple really. Because I'm dead ….."

**oooOOOooo**

Logan had moved away from the campfire, standing with his back to it so as not to impair his night vision. All of his senses were trained on the darkness beyond the little group, alert for any sign of approaching danger, but a portion of his mind was inevitably focused on his mate. She hadn't yet returned from the river and, while she didn't seem to be in any form of distress, he was puzzled as to why she was taking so long. Finally unable to contain his curiosity no longer, he glanced once towards his huddled companions and then slid into the trees, unaware that he was being watched by a pair of spiteful eyes …..

Mrs Marsters knew where the feral was heading. It was obvious in her mind that Wolverine and her daughter had arranged some kind of sinful meeting away from the prying eyes of her family, and she felt sick to her stomach. She simply couldn't believe that her once chaste and obedient daughter had turned into such a wanton hussy, willing to allow her foul-mouthed lover to drag her to the very depths of depravity under the noses of her own family. It was also equally as obvious that her own husband had been taken in by the couple's web of seduction, but their lies and the clever little game they were playing had no effect on _her._ No. In fact, she was going to put a stop to their unholy tryst right this very minute.

She began to rise, only to be brought up short by the sight of Gambit's devilish red eyes glittering at her in the firelight. He propped his head on his hand, reaching out with the other to pull up a blade of grass, which he stuck nonchalantly between his teeth.

He nodded towards the trees. "Your daughter, she a lucky lady, _oui?"_

Mrs Marsters bristled, suspecting that 'lucky' would be the last word she'd use to describe her daughter's current status. "I'm sure I don't understand your meaning," she snapped, peevishly.

Gambit rolled the blade of grass slowly from one side of his mouth to the other, seemingly unperturbed by the woman's tone. "De bond dey share," he explained carefully, as though speaking to a child. "T'is special, Remy t'inks."

Mrs Marsters snorted, her eyes straying to the tree-line into which the Wolverine had so recently disappeared. Gambit saw this and knew he had to do something to distract her or she would go storming after him and make matters a whole lot worse than they already were. The silly woman had no idea what she was dealing with.

"Let Remy put dis another way," he began deviously, and Mrs Marsters found herself unable to look away as he used all his powers of persuasion to capture her attention and keep it. "Many women, dey long to know de love of a good man, _non?_ An' when dey find it, dey often live dere whole lives never knowing if de love dere man professes be true. But Kristi, she _know _de Wolv'rine loves her. She can _feel _it ev'ry time he looks at her. Whenever dey touch. Whenever dey kiss. An' because of de bond, she know he will never _ever_ leave her. Dere love is for life ….. an' beyond." He shrugged, casually. "As Remy say, t'is special, _non?"_

Shocked, Mrs Marsters nodded dumbly and Gambit spat out the blade of grass, turning his back on the woman and snuggling down under his duster, facing the fire. His work was done. The seed was sown. It was all down to Kristi's mother now.

He sensed, rather than saw, the look she gave her husband, sleeping at her side. He knew she was mulling over his words, wondering what it could be like to feel the love of the one she had promised her life to glowing in her mind's eye day after day – growing old together and knowing without a shadow of a doubt that he still saw her as fresh and as beautiful as the day they both met.

And when Mrs Marsters lay her head on the Wolverine's jacket and linked her arm through her husband's without waking him, Gambit smiled.

Yes, the seeds had been sown. Now they only had to grow …..

**oooOOOooo****. **

Logan slipped through the trees like a ghost, following his mate's scent with ease – no surprise, really, considering that she hadn't been trying to conceal it. What did surprise him was the scent that overlay hers. It was obviously the girl's and it was equally as obvious that she was following his mate.

Concerned, Logan let his mind reach ahead, but all he could sense from Kristi was a kind of shocked curiosity – certainly nothing that suggested his mate was in any kind of danger. Nevertheless, he increased his pace, covering the ground silently like a panther on the hunt. He knew he couldn't hide his approach from Kristi, but he guessed the girl had no such advantage and, if she intended mischief, his stealthy arrival would put a stop to it quickly.

Slipping silently from tree to tree, he found his mate soon enough, engrossed in quiet conversation with the girl. As he stepped closer, she gave Kristi a quick but heartfelt hug and melted swiftly into the trees, heading back in the direction of the campsite. Logan watched her go, until he could no longer make out the details of her white dress through the darkness and then turned towards his mate.

She was waiting for him with her back pressed against a tree.

"What was all that about?" he asked, nodding in the direction of their absent guide.

Kristi shook her head. "Nothing. Just girl talk." She pushed away from the tree and held out her arms. "Come here."

"What for?" Logan was suspicious. When women started ordering him around, things usually ended badly for both of them.

"Because I want to hug you, silly!" Kristi grinned brightly at him and he huffed to show his disapproval of something as girlie as a hug, but nevertheless moved into her arms. She rested her head on his bare shoulder with a gentle sigh and he thanked his lucky stars that he hadn't had time to grab his under tee when they'd fled the house – the feel of her against his bare skin was just too good an opportunity to pass up.

"You smell real good," he whispered softly, nuzzling his nose into her hair. This close he could feel the beating of her heart – could also feel it speeding up as he enfolded her in his arms and he knew his closeness was having an effect on her. He couldn't deny her closeness was having an effect on _him_ too. "Jesus, Kris, I want ya so much. I could take ya right here – right now."

He felt her stiffen against him and he pushed her back slightly so that he could look down into her face. "I made ya a promise, Kris," he told her, sincerely. "An' I'll stick to it no matter what." He grinned, ruefully, flashing a rare glimpse of his elongated canines. "However, I did not promise to stop feeling horny whenever I hold ya."

Kristi blushed prettily, reminded in that moment of her mate's true nature. Being feral, he was accustomed to reaching out and taking whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted it, and to hell with the consequences. But for her, he was willing to make sacrifices – simply because she had asked.

She placed her hands flat against his chest, feeling the heat of him pulsing into her palms. Beneath the skin, his heart jumped rapidly.

"Kiss me," she demanded.

Her mate was more than happy to oblige …..

**NEXT: **The first veil!


	15. The First Veil

Hey, everyone! First off, so sorry for the huge gap between updates! This comes from foolishly trying to write four stories at the same time! It also stems from the amount of illness my husband and I have suffered since the New Year! I am honestly fed up now and eagerly awaiting the onset of summer to blow the bugs away!

**Logan's Wolverettes! **Once again, I am in your debt, as you've all been busy with the little button at the bottom of the page! Many thanks to **Frozen Voices, 12kirby12, Chandraleila **- (I have promoted you instantly to the Wolverettes because you have left multiple reviews for my other stuff! Congratulations on also leaving the 100th review for Smoke!) - **adelphe24, nileena **and **Laudine! **And a big **Hello! **to new readers **pinkskyline **and **Whispering Maiden!**

And now, onward! Our adventure awaits!

**ooXoo**

**15. The First Veil**

The sky was just beginning to turn pink with the onset of dawn when the girl moved around the burnt out campfire, waking everyone from their slumber. She looked fresh and alert, and Kristi – curled up beside Wolverine on Gambit's duster – felt an instant pang of jealousy for the other, who could spend a night out in the open with no luxuries whatsoever and still manage to look as though she had just stepped from the pages of a fashion magazine. Her own bones felt sore from sleeping on the hard ground and something – a small pebble perhaps, or maybe an embellishment on Gambit's coat – had pressed into her hip and left a bruise. Her mood was as battered as her body – she would kill for a toothbrush! – and she huffed crossly as she sat up and tried to ease out the kinks in her neck.

Logan came to her rescue, sitting up behind her and massaging her aching shoulders with practised fingers. By the time everyone was awake and groaning sleepily, she felt slightly more human and was able to stretch her arms without experiencing any further pain. She flashed her mate a grateful smile.

Gambit, already annoyingly bright-eyed and perky despite his late watch, handed out the fruit and they ate a subdued breakfast, washing it down with cold water from the river. Afterwards, they stood and gathered around the girl, who pointed upstream.

"We go that way," she declared, simply.

As she moved off, the men picked up their packs, shouldering into them with varying degrees of anticipation for the trek ahead. Logan had his pack in his hand and was about to shrug into it when Kristi caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Turning, she saw her mother heading towards them and almost stepped in front of her mate – to protect him from her mother or to protect _her _from him? She didn't know, but she stopped herself before she actually completed the action, knowing he wouldn't appreciate the seemingly innocent gesture.

Her mother was smiling, but Kristi could see her top lip trembling nervously. Before her daughter could speak, however, Mrs Marsters held out her hand, in which she clutched Logan's black fighting jacket, almost as though hanging on to a lifeline.

"I just came to give your ….. to give Wolverine his jacket back." She turned her attention to the feral, wilting visibly under his intense scrutiny, yet seeming determined to go through with whatever she had started. "It was cold last night and I'm sorry you had to sleep in the ….. in your ….." She nodded towards Logan's bare chest in desperation. "Anyway, I just wanted to say ….. well ….. thank you."

"You're welcome." Logan reached for his jacket and Mrs Marsters immediately turned and scurried back to her husband, leaving the two mutants to stare after her with expressions of mixed surprise and confusion.

"What the hell was all that about?" demanded Logan, dropping the duffle at his feet and shrugging into his jacket.

"I don't know," replied Kristi honestly, already mourning the disappearance of her mate's fine chest – the very thing she had wantonly caressed with her hands only a few hours ago. She blushed at the memory and turned her head to hide the glow to her cheeks. When she chanced a glance at her mate through lowered lashes, he winked at her and left his jacket hanging open. Traitorous bond! She coughed to hide her embarrassment and looked away, as though the very thought of all that feral chest was simply a matter of give or take. "Maybe she's come to her senses and is trying to turn over a new leaf?"

"More likely she's trying to lull me into a false sense o' security before runnin' a knife between my shoulder blades," remarked Logan, sourly. He ignored his mate's indignant squeak and shouldered the duffle, resolutely. "Get a move on. Daylight's wastin'."

"I'm sure she hasn't got any ulterior motives, Logan," Kristi hurried to assure him as she jogged to catch up, his long strides already putting several paces between them. But as she fell into step at his side, even she had to doubt the truthfulness of her words …..

**oooOOOooo**

As before, once they were on the move, Logan re-initiated the link between him and his mate, allowing her to see the world from his unique perspective. At first, Kristi kept a tight rein on the rush of information being fed to her brain, filtering though it and concentrating on the strongest impulses. But gradually, as she became more accustomed to the sensory overload, she allowed more in, gasping in delight as each new discovery opened up a whole new world of meaning to her. Even the simplest of things – such as a small bug crawling over the back of her hand – brought her a previously unexplored range of sensations and she revelled in them, grinning in delight at her amused mate.

"Like it?" he asked, as she watched a flock of brightly coloured birds fly along the opposite bank. Concentrating hard, she could hear their feathers lifting – rustling – in the breeze of their passing.

"I love it," she whispered back, her eyes bright and almost seeming to glow with the intensity of her passion for her male. He had gifted her with something precious and personal – something that was so uniquely 'him' that she would never be able to respond in kind. She felt loved ….. and strangely humbled.

It wasn't long before he tossed her a jaunty salute and loped off into the distance. Kristi let him go without a word, knowing that he needed time away from the group – time to be himself without having to worry about the image he was projecting. Kristi knew he would never admit it, but her mother's hatred of him had affected her mate deeper than it appeared at face value. He claimed to be immune to people's opinions of him. _"They either like me or they don't. It's no skin off my nose', _he had once declared. But the bond betrayed the truth on this occasion. He had wanted Kristi's family to like him for _her_ sake. And the fact that there were objections to the one thing he was powerless to change had cut him deeply.

Thank goodness he had friends around him to soften the blow. Jubilee could distract the feral's thoughts away from morbid musings as though born to it, and even her own sister seemed to be gaining some ground in that particular ability. Together, the two youngsters were more than a match for any number of surly feral bruisers.

With her mind only half aware of what she herself was doing, Kristi allowed herself to follow her mate, seeing through his eyes as he scouted the terrain ahead. His spirits soared – despite the danger, he was doing what he did best and that feeling of running free and of being truly alive transmitted down the bond to Kristi, filling her up until she wanted to spread her arms, take off into the air and follow him wherever he may lead…

"Kristi, are you alright?" The gentle touch of her mother's hand on her arm reinstated her hold on reality with a suddenness that had her tripping over her own feet. She berated her clumsiness with a muttered curse and glanced sideways to gift her mother with a shaky smile.

"I'm okay. I'm ….." She paused, unease briefly ghosting through her mind, but reluctant to hold back the truth any longer. "I'm linked, mom."

Her mother's jaw tightened. "Linked? With Wolverine?"

Kristi nodded, allowing her face to morph into a frown. "I won't apologise for it," she challenged. "I can't stop what I do any more than a bird can resist flying or ….."

"Kristi, stop! There's no need for this." Her mother sighed, the pause allowing them both to calm somewhat. "I didn't come over to fight with you again. You seemed … distant, so ….." She let the sentence hang, choosing instead to change track. "Why can't everything be as before, Kristi? Why is everything so different?"

"It's different because you hate my mate." Kristi saw no reason to pull the punches any longer and allowed the fury in her heart to taint the words. Her voice was rough with the influence of the feral leaking through the link. She kicked angrily at a stone that dared to put itself in her path. "I didn't want this, mom. Any of it. But you forced my hand."

They walked in silence for a moment, Kristi tense and bristling like an angry alley-cat, and her mother with her head bowed, her fingers playing agitatedly with the hem of her blouse. Logan, sensing his mate's sudden mood swing, sent an image of him returning to her side, but Kristi fended him off with an image of him heading in the opposite direction. She couldn't rely on her mate always coming to her rescue – if she didn't start standing up to her mother soon, by herself, she would always treat her like a child.

Kristi knew what she wanted – what she _needed _– to say, but was at a loss as to _how_ to say it. Time and again, she opened her mouth only for the words to be stolen away by her own indecision and feelings of inadequacy. Glancing around at her team-mates and family as they all walked together in a loose group did nothing to ease her discomfort.

"We had such high hopes of a white wedding for you, your father and I." Her mother's low voice intruded into Kristi's troubled thoughts and she glanced sideways in surprise. Her mother smiled, shakily. "Well, perhaps the dream was more mine than your father's, but that's all water under the bridge now. Mothers always yearn to see their daughters walk down the aisle with a handsome man on their arm."

"Is that what all this is about?" asked Kristi, incredulously. "Just a wedding?"

"Not _any_ wedding, Kristi. Yours," came the reply.

Kristi couldn't stop the growl that ghosted past her lips. "I don't believe this. I can't believe you've put me through two days of hell over a damn wedding!"

"There's more to it than that, Kristi ….."

The young mutant cut the other woman off with a sharp wave of her hand. "This is ridiculous! It's not as though me and Logan _plan_ to live together."

As soon as she'd said the words, Kristi clamped her mouth shut, biting angrily at her lower lip, desperate to call back the lie. Her mate was already sleeping in her bed. How near was she to taking the next inevitable step?

Her mother breathed a soft sigh. "With all due respect, Kristi, Wolverine doesn't strike me as the marrying kind."

As much as she wanted to, Kristi couldn't dispute her mother's words. She knew Logan now – knew his inner most feelings and the instincts that flowed from his feral nature. He was a creature of the wild – he would never allow himself to be tied down to marriage.

Once more, silence draped mother and daughter in its soft shroud. Kristi walked with her eyes fixed to the ground, unable to look at her mother who remained steadfastly at her side. The other woman seemed to have something further to say and Kristi waited, almost dreading the continuance of their conversation. She had no desire to fight with her mother, but if she persisted in tormenting her mate, she would have no choice but to retaliate.

"Do you remember that programme we watched?" her mother finally asked. "The one about Wolverine?"

"Yes." How could she ever forget it?

"Is he …..? Was there any truth to it? Is he as dangerous as they say?"

Kristi paused, trying to appear unconcerned as she watched Jubilee demonstrate a handful of low-level fireworks for her sister and brother. Her father was up front, talking softly to the girl, so only her mother would be privy to the fatal answer. "Yes, he is," she replied, softly. "But only to those who have reason to fear him."

She felt her mother take her hand, but didn't look around. "He ….. he _scares_ me, Kristi. He's wild ….. unpredictable. How can you love a man like that?"

"Because I can see the man that he is inside." Kristi finally turned her head and looked her mother straight in the eye, willing her to understand. She had tried to tell her mother this very thing the morning she and her mate had been discovered in bed together, but the situation had rapidly gone downhill and nothing had been resolved. Now, her mother seemed willing to listen and Kristi hoped with all her heart that she could finally make her see reason. "He's dangerous, yes. I'll even admit to him being unpredictable. But he's not evil. He's just a man trying to come to terms with the results of other men's evil designs."

Mrs Marsters frowned. "That's the second time you've mentioned this, Kristi. What do you mean?"

Kristi hesitated, torn between her desire to make her mother finally understand that Logan wasn't the madman she suspected him of being, and her loyalty to her mate. But this was the first time her mother had actually spoken to her without malice and Kristi desperately needed to heal the rift that had grown between them once and for all.

"Logan possesses a healing factor, mom," she began slowly, turning away once more to look straight ahead. She couldn't bear to see the disgust in her mother's eyes if her plea failed. "It means he heals at an accelerated rate. And because of this, men were able to pump his body full of hot metal – to turn him into a living weapon."

She heard her mother gasp and braced herself.

"My god! You mean …? Those claws of his ….. they're not natural, are they?"

Kristi chanced a quick sideways glance. Her mother's face had drained of all colour. "Not entirely," she admitted, slowly. "He has natural bone claws, but they were enhanced by the metal during the bonding process."

"This procedure ….. it must have been painful …..?"

Kristi couldn't even bring herself to admit how much pain her mate had had to endure. She'd experienced his nightmares for herself on several occasions – could still remember the awful feeling of being suffocated by the suspension fluid, the blinding agony of the hot metal coursing into 'her' body as plainly as if the experiences were her own.

She nodded. "Now do you understand why he is so …." She tensed and broke off as an image from her mate flooded into her mind.

"Kristi? What's wrong?"

"It's Logan. He's coming back. He thinks he's sighted the first veil ….."

**oooOOOooo**

Another two hours of steady walking brought the group to the exact location Kristi had seen through the eyes of her mate before he had backtracked and rejoined them. The vista was wholly unremarkable – the same rolling green grassland cut by the gently flowing river against the backdrop of majestic mountains. Nothing they could immediately discern made this stretch of grassland stand out from the similar landscape that lay behind them – except for the shifting, seemingly empty patch of _….. something_ ….. that now barred their way.

If they hadn't been looking for it, they could have walked right by it and never known it was there. There was no physical doorway, no sign of anything that hinted that passage to another plane of existence lay just before them. The air in front of them simply shimmered …. like a heat haze on a hot day.

Logan was in full-on protective mode, making everyone stand back while he approached the veil alone. Kristi could feel him reaching out with his enhanced senses – sight, smell, hearing – searching for any signs that the anomaly could pose any kind of threat to him, his team or those under his protection. The girl had assured them that the veil was safe – that danger came from what lay _beyond_ the doorway and not from the anomaly itself, but Logan would not be satisfied until he had checked for himself. Being cautious was the reason he had stayed alive for so long when faced with overwhelming odds and he saw no reason to betray those instincts just on someone else's say so.

Kristi tensed as he passed behind the anomaly, expecting … well, she wasn't really sure _what_ to expect, but her short history with the X-Men had taught her that if anything could go wrong then it usually would – and with a vengeance. Chaos theory, her sister called it and, since joining the team and experiencing said chaos first hand, she was a firm believer. But despite holding her breath, nothing untoward happened as her mate prowled the veil's boundary – his body, as he passed behind it, simply appeared to shimmer, like an image viewed through water.

Finally convinced of its benign nature, he gestured the others forward, reluctantly stepping back to allow the girl to take charge, although his stance was anything but submissive.

The girl allowed her eyes to rove around the little group, as if gauging their likelihood to continue without panicking. "I will go first," she announced at length, moving to stand just in front of the gently rippling portal. "You will all follow in single file. The crossover is instantaneous, but can be a little unsettling, so you may wish to hold hands. Also, if you have brought warm clothing, now would be a good time to make use of it."

"Why?" asked David, curiously.

"Because it's going to be cold on the other side."

"Cold?" David glanced around at the others in obvious confusion and then dropped his duffle at his feet. "Why do I even ask? I really don't want to know, do I?"

"It's probably for the best, son," his father agreed, and helped him to hand out sweaters to his family.

Logan zipped up his fighting jacket, making Kristi jump at the sudden harsh sound. "Let's get this over with," he growled.

Jubilee and Nikki immediately stepped in behind him, high-fiving each other in their excitement to be off. Kristi followed, knowing that her mate would want to be the first of the X-Men through the veil and needing to be immediately behind her sister should anything untoward occur on the other side. Her eyes sought and found those of her mother, noting the fear being held barely in check, and she smiled encouragingly. After a slight pause, her mother smiled shakily back and Kristi found her hopes raising, hoping – no, _praying –_ that the rift between them was finally beginning to heal.

Her mother and father held hands, ushering David in beside them. With Gambit bringing up the rear they were ready to go.

Without further ado, the girl turned and walked calmly through the portal, disappearing immediately into its shimmering embrace. One by one, the others followed. Kristi held her breath as she passed through. Her skin tingled as the veil flowed around her …. and then chilled instantly as the icy force of a blizzard slammed into her on the other side, stealing her breath away. She staggered sideways and would have fallen but for Logan's strong arm suddenly snaking around her waist and pulling her close to his body.

"_Jesus …!"_As her family came through behind her, David's expletive was torn away by the wind. "What the hell …..?"

Gambit was close on her brother's heels, his breath instantly clouding as the frigid air hit him. He looked about, seemingly unconcerned as the biting wind flung snow into his face, with the ends of his duster flapping around him. "T'is a mite chilly here, _non?"_

Logan whirled angrily to face the girl, dragging Kristi around with him. "Christ, woman, what the hell were ya thinkin' by bringin' us here? The civilians won't be able to last long without proper clothin'. They'll freeze!"

Indeed, Nikki's teeth were already chattering audibly and her arms were wrapped tightly around her body for warmth. Kristi detached herself from Logan's embrace and moved to her sister, drawing her into a hug and powering up her corona to give some illusion of warmth.

The girl moved closer, completely unaffected by the cold despite the flimsiness of her gown. She gestured around her at the storm. "We will not be here long," she assured them. "The next veil lies just a few short hours away in that direction."

"But the cold ….." objected Gordon. He was holding his wife close, and she was shivering uncontrollably in spite of her sweater. "Is there no other way? Maybe we could go back and wait for another anomaly to open?"

"We cannot go back. The anomalies allow passage one way only." The girl sighed and spread her arms, pleadingly. "I'm sorry, but we have no choice but to go forward."

Gambit strode closer, tilting his shoulder into the wind. "Dis little squall not so bad, _mes ami._ We move quickly, we be out of it in no time, _non?_" He flashed Wolverine a pointed glance. "De walk will warm us all up."

Wolverine growled – clearly his anger was not assuaged – but he saw the sense in the Cajun's words. If they stood around for much longer the biting cold would begin to settle into their bodies and the journey would be that much more difficult to make. "Alright, let's get movin'. But you ….." He pointed an accusing finger at the girl. "Next time, you'd better warn us what to expect the next time we pass through one o' these damn things."

"She did say it was gonna be cold," objected Nikki, around chattering teeth.

"This ain't cold – it's a flamin' white-out." Wolverine glared pointedly at the girl and she tilted her head in acknowledgement.

"You're right and I'm sorry. I ….. I sometimes forget that mortals are susceptible to the elements."

Logan snorted and swung his arm in a 'move-out' gesture. With determined steps, the little group began to push in the direction indicated by the girl, bowing their heads against the wind and biting snow. It quickly became apparent that the journey was not going to be an easy one – the wind threw stinging snow in their faces and the ground underfoot was icy and treacherous. Deceptively flat snow hid uneven ground that caused stumbles and the terrain around them was so glaringly white that they were forced to protect their eyes from more than just the wind-flung icy shards. Being shorter, Nikki and Jubilee had the worst of it, the almost knee-deep snow causing them to flounder and stumble often. Wolverine eventually pushed the two girls behind him in an effort to shield them from the worst of the wind, and also to forge a path for them to follow. Kristi's sister was uncharacteristically silent, saving her energy for the torturous process of putting one foot in front of the other. The pace he had set was obviously too much for the youngsters, but he daren't slow – they needed to reach the next portal and get out of the white-out before night fell. Falling temperatures and no shelter would be disastrous for them all.

Unfortunately, the further they travelled, the more a sense of unease grew in Logan's chest. His very skin tingled and the heavy weight of unseen eyes pressed into the back of his neck. Scanning the surrounding terrain under the guise of helping Nikki through a particularly deep snowdrift revealed nothing but a frozen landscape under the relentless grip of winter.

Even his usually flawless senses were useless to him in these conditions – his sense of smell was overwhelmed by the frigid scent of snow, and his ears could hear nothing past the howl of the wind and his own laboured breathing. But still the sense of being watched continued.

"What's the matter, Logan?" Kristi had edged closer and was studying him with concern in her eyes. "You seem edgy."

"We're being followed. No, don't turn around." He grabbed her arm to stop her, not wanting to alert their mysterious shadow to the fact that his – or her – cover was blown.

Kristi nodded in understanding, although she ached to look behind her. "Do you think it's Deathstrike?"

Logan's grunt by way of reply was barely audible above the gusting of the wind. "I don't know who it is, darlin'. My senses are useless to me in these conditions." The dark cast to his features hinted that he was less than enthralled by this prospect. "All I know is that something's followin' us an' has been doing since we passed through that flamin' veil."

Kristi's shoulders hunched as she tried to ignore the prickling sensation between her shoulder blades. For all she knew, someone could be training a weapon on her right this very moment ….. She coughed and schooled her voice to sound normal as she asked "What do you plan?"

Logan huffed a breath, its steamy vapour being snatched away instantly by the wind. "Gonna backtrack a bit – try an' work my way behind whoever's followin' us an' turn the tables."

"That sounds plausible." Kristi smiled at her mate, although her lips and jaw felt frozen. "You want some help?"

"No. Best if I go alone. Our shadow probably won't notice one of us slippin' away from the group, but two …. ….. or three?"

"Understood. I won't tell you to be careful, 'cause you'll think I'm fussing, but if you need help I'll be right here, okay?" Kristi tapped the side of her head, meaningfully.

Logan nodded, absently, already eyeing up the landscape ahead for the best possible place to slip away from the group. To their left, the terrain stretched away in an unbroken vista of white, dotted by the occasional wind-blasted tree. To their right flowed the river, partially covered by ice now as it creaked sluggishly to its eventual destination. But up ahead, the ground rose steadily, creating a steep bank before levelling out once more.

"Keep going an' don't stop until you reach the portal. I'll catch up later." Logan waited for his mate to nod her understanding and then ducked immediately to the right, sliding down the bank and rolling into the cover provided by a shallow overhang. Those who noticed his abrupt departure said nothing, accustomed to his comings and goings.

For a long time he waited, hearing nothing but the howling wind and the sluggish slap of ice-laden water against the bank. His limbs grew heavy and numb with the cold, but the patience of a hunter held him in place, allowing time for their shadow to pass him by, unaware that their roles had now reversed. Logan took the unspoken threat seriously. It was now time to even the odds.

Grunting slightly at the stiffness in his limbs, he rolled out from his place of concealment and crouched, preparing to climb the bank and track the footprints of the one stalking the group.

A low growl halted his movements and caused the hair at the back of his neck to prickle …..

Slowly, fearing the worst, he tilted his head to look towards the top of the embankment. Crouched there was a creature that could only be described as a cross between a tiger and a leopard, its fur as white as the snow surrounding it and its blue-green eyes whirling angrily.

Logan's heart sank. Somehow, the creature had realised his ploy and had simply waited for him to show himself.

Which hinted at unusual behaviour for an animal with supposedly limited intelligence. It also held the higher ground, another case for speculation. Grimly, Logan muted the link to his mate, maintaining the connection so that she wouldn't become suspicious but limiting the amount of information she received. He had no desire for her to come racing to his rescue and find herself in danger. Now he only had the creature to deal with …

"Nice kitty." Logan inched sideways to put more ground between them, but the creature kept pace above him. With the river at his back, he was boxed in. He could only go sideways or up. And with that thought in mind, he flung himself forward with a fierce battle-cry, counting on the creature's surprise at finding itself under attack from prey to stun it into immobility.

With a roar to match Wolverine's, the creature hurled itself at the feral mutant, its claws reaching for his throat.

Logan had time only for a single fleeting thought …..

… _oh shit …._

**NEXT: **Will Wolverine survive the encounter?


	16. Freeze Dry

Hi everyone! Thanks so much for your patience in waiting for updates on this story! I am now working full time so finding a spare moment or two to do some writing is not easy, but please rest assured that I will NEVER leave any of my stories unfinished! I may take a while, but I will always continue!

**Logan's Wolverettes: **Once again, major kudos to **BerserkerHellHound, Medoly, Greg James, nileena, FrozenVoices, 12kirby12, Laudine, adelphe24 **and **wolverina32! **I appreciate each and every review, guys! Thank you!

****And now, our story takes a surreal turn! Onward!

**ooXoo  
**

**16. ****Freeze Dry**

"We can't stay here any longer, Kristi, we've got to get moving. Your mother is frozen to the bone."

Gordon Marsters shuddered against the icy cold wind that battered his body and looked towards his eldest daughter, standing alone several feet away from the main group and staring off into the snowstorm. With her arms wrapped tightly around her visibly shivering body, she looked younger and more fragile than her twenty-one years suggested.

"Kristi?" He tried again, not really expecting a response but knowing he tried to try – for his wife's sake, if for no one else's – but this time she half turned to face him, the determination in her eyes unmistakable even from a distance.

"I'm not moving from this spot until Logan shows up, dad, so you can quit asking." Her voice was sharp, authoritative, and Gordon knew he was witnessing the X-Man that lay at the heart of his daughter. Pride momentarily bolstered his failing strength, unfortunately tempered by the reasoning that, however determined Kristi was in not abandoning Wolverine, the fact that her mate may not be coming back was the least of their problems. The snowstorm raging around them was steadily sapping both strength and resolve, and even the usually stoic X-Men were beginning to show signs of faltering. As for the civilians, Nikki's teeth were chattering so hard they could clearly be heard over the howling of the wind, and his wife's lips and fingers were turning blue. Of the group, only their guide seemed comfortable with the surroundings. Even with her hair whipping around her face and dusted with snow, she seemed as calm and collected as if she were merely out for an evening promenade around the park. The flimsy gown she wore might as well have been the thickest fur-lined cloak for all the notice she took of the climate.

Gordon sighed and glanced over his shoulder at the anomaly glittering behind them. As before, the veil between worlds was barely distinguishable from the surrounding whiteout, except for a soft golden glow which emanated from deep within and gave Gordon an understandable yearning for warmth. With no way to tell how long this particular anomaly would stay open, he was desperate to lead his family through and get them out of the storm, but Kristi had adamantly refused to leave this particular world until her mate had caught up to them. With the remaining X-Men closing ranks and supporting their team-mate, the Marsters family were effectively stuck on this side of the veil, unable to move on and risk splitting up the group. He couldn't blame his daughter in the slightest for wanting to wait – if positions had been reversed, he would have waited night and day for any one of his family – but he was also painfully aware that time was quickly running out and the thought of being stranded in this god-forsaken world chilled him with far more efficiency than the icy wind.

Motioning his wife to stay put, he broke away from the shivering group and made his way to the little patch of ground where Kristi had chosen to make her stand. She studied him as he drew near, her expression guarded.

"Kristi ….."

"He's not dead, dad, so don't even go there. I would know if he was." Kristi hugged herself tighter as her father stepped to her side, stamping her feet in the snow in an effort to warm them. "He's out there somewhere and I'm not moving without him."

Gordon heard the desperation in his daughter's voice and realised it wasn't just her father she was trying to convince. All thoughts of making her see reason fleeing his mind, he simply reached out and pulled her into his arms, seeking to comfort and share his meagre body heat. "Tell me what you feel," he urged, softly. "Is he in any danger?"

"If he's not, he will be when he gets back." Unnoticed by her father, Kristi's eyes flashed, angrily. "He's damped down the bond, dad. Deliberately shut me out. To stop me from worrying about him," she added, with a snort that suggested entirely the opposite.

"He can do that?" asked Gordon, curiously.

Kristi nodded against her father's shoulder. "Yes. We both can. Otherwise we'd go crazy from the emotions that bombard us constantly. With Logan being prone to nightmares it's …." Her voice drifted away on the wind, reluctance at revealing the darker side of her mate's psyche prompting her thoughts to derail.

Gordon wisely chose to ignore the slip – at least for the time being. "So he thinks someone was following us?" he prompted instead.

"Yes. So he doubled back to try and get behind them." She paused, worrying at her lower lip with her teeth despite her resolve to remain calm. Pulling away from her father's embrace, she stared into the whiteout, pushing back a stray lock of hair as the wind tossed it into her face. "You can tell Logan to be careful until you're blue in the face, dad, but the fact is, he's a scrapper to the core. He likes nothing better than to wade fist first into a fight. Well, besides perhaps a beer or a smoke. Or a really bloody steak. The bond means that I know my mate almost as well as I know myself. So I know that 'being careful' would be the thought furthest from Logan's mind if someone meant us harm. And the fact that he's damped down the bond like this …"

"Kristi …." began Gordon. He meant to comfort, but got no further as a shout suddenly diverted their attention.

"Hey! There's something moving out there!"

Jubilee pushed between them, pointing into the whiteout. "Look!"

Oblivious to everything but the burning need to be reunited with her mate, Kristi shielded her eyes with one hand and peered desperately into the snowstorm. "I don't see anything, Jubes. Are you certain there's something out there?"

Jubilee nodded, distractedly. "Trust me. I definitely saw movement in a break in the snow."

Despite her hopes that this was indeed Logan returning to them, Kristi flipped into X-Man mode. "You'd better get behind us, dad. In case it's someone hostile."

Preferring to ignore the glaring truth that if this _was_ someone hostile he had managed to get past Wolverine, Gordon did as he was asked, but remained just a few paces behind his daughter and her friend, unwilling to leave them completely alone. Sensing something amiss, Gambit pushed the remaining civilians almost to the very edge of the veil and took a stance in front of them, his bo staff fully extended and resting easily in his hands.

Several tense moments passed, during which Kristi powered up and Jubilee balanced a couple of fireworks on her hand ready to throw, but then everyone suddenly jumped as Kristi let out a squeal and dashed forward, her corona winking out as she flung herself into the arms of the man she had come to love more than life itself. Wolverine staggered back with the force of her hug, making a show of fending off the kisses she tried to shower onto his face and neck.

"Jesus, Kris, there're kids present."

His voice was gruff, but there was a twinkle in his eye as he finally gave in to his mate's advances and snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her close to devour her lips with a hungry kiss that hinted of yearnings long denied. Despite the nearby presence of her parents, Kristi moaned and fisted her hands into his hair, letting her body speak of the loneliness she had weathered in his absence. He released her quickly as the others approached, but the brief contact had been enough to flush Kristi's cheeks with a healthy pink glow and make her knees tremble.

"Hey, big guy." Jubilee thumped her partner manfully on the arm and indicated the jagged tears in his leather jacket. "Been scrappin' again?"

Logan shrugged ruefully, mindful of how his dishevelled appearance must be impacting on the civilians. They had to know by now that something had been following them, but he was reluctant to speak of the encounter until they were safely on the other side of the veil. "Don't fret none, Jubilee," he growled, by way of reply. "Looks worse than it is. Jacket bore the brunt o' the attack."

"Attack? Geez, Logan, are you hurt?" Kristi seemed to come to her senses as he spoke of their mysterious stalker, only now noting the way he held one arm awkwardly across his chest. "Dammit, you should have said …"

"And your pack's gone," put in David, from his position on the sidelines of the group. "I hope you haven't lost the food."

Logan snorted. "Christ, kid, the food's the least of our worries. An' no, I haven't lost it – I never had it – but if ya wanna stand around in a blasted whiteout all day an' discuss housekeepin' then that's up to you. Me, I'm thinkin' all this yap would be better done on the other side o' that flamin' veil."

"_D'accord, mon ami."_ Gambit twirled his bo staff and used it to herd everyone back towards the anomaly. "T'is cold here, _oui?_ Gambit, he t'ink it be warmer on de other side."

"But the stalker …?" protested Kristi, as Logan began to stomp towards the veil. She jogged to catch up. "Logan, wait ….."

"Cross now. Talk later," her mate snapped, practically pushing her ahead of him. "I'm sick o' freezin' my balls off in this goddamn snow."

He knew he was confusing her, but he needed to get everyone as far from this particular world as possible before it was too late. Predators hunted in packs – where there was one, the rest wouldn't be far away. The one he had encountered had probably been an advance scout – and if the rest of the pack caught scent of what he was hiding beneath his jacket ….

He dismissed the thought quickly, unwilling to dwell on the image of panic and bloodshed that forced itself into his mind's eye. He focused instead on the veil, through which Gambit and the girl had already disappeared, acting as an advance guard. The civilians were next, then Jubilee, and finally there was just himself and Kristi.

"Go," he said, gently. "I'm right behind you."

Kristi nodded and disappeared into the shimmering curtain. Logan took a calming breath, cast a final wary glance behind him and stepped forward to join her.

A wall of super-heated air smacked him in the face.

"What the hell …?" he exclaimed, as snow melted instantly from his clothes and a sheen of sweat popped up from his skin.

Around him, the others were quickly shucking sweaters and jackets, exclaiming at the heat and fanning themselves. Above them, a swollen sun beat down relentlessly onto a vista that was barren and lifeless.

They were stranded in the middle of a desert.

"Jesus, girl, aren't any of these blasted worlds o' yours normal?" Logan rolled his shoulders irritably as his leather jacket seemed to bond itself uncomfortably to his skin.

"At least we're warm now." Nikki grinned mischievously at the feral as she stuffed her sweater into her brother's pack. "Hey, maybe I'll be able to top up my tan?"

"There will be no time for sunbathing," spoke up the girl, leading them away from the veil. "The sun's effects are dangerous here. We will need to rest up by day and travel at night if we are to avoid sunstroke or worse."

"Rest up? For how long?" asked Gordon. "Don't we run the risk of the next veil closing if we waste time getting to it?"

"It is a risk we will have to take," replied their guide, unapologetically. "We will dehydrate very quickly if we attempt to travel during daylight hours. However, the days here are very short – night will be upon us in just a few hours."

"Isn't there any way at all that we could keep moving?" asked Logan, with a frown. "I don't think it's safe to rest right now."

The girl turned to face him, obviously confused by his words. "You of all people, Logan, should know the dangers of hiking in a hostile terrain. Why so eager to keep moving?"

"Because of this," the feral replied, and opened his jacket to reveal the small furry creature snuggled against his chest.

Jubilee and Nikki emitted girly squeals.

Their guide looked astounded at the revelation. "That's a shellan – a guardian beast," she announced, somewhat accusingly. "Where did you get it?"

"Its mother attacked me back there," Logan nodded his head towards the veil, indicating the previous world.

"You killed its mother?" Kristi's mother looked aghast, and Logan groaned inwardly. As far as Mrs Marsters was concerned, he couldn't do right for doing wrong, even if he had probably saved all their lives.

"She gave me no choice," he admitted ruefully, as three young females surrounded him, cooing and petting the mewling kitten. "We were being stalked. I hung back to get behind whoever it was but the ….. shellan? ….. anticipated my move an' set a trap. If I'da known she had young I woulda held back, but her attack was relentless."

"I don't understand," objected the girl, eyeing the little beast as it basked in the attention of its three admirers. "The shellans guard the worlds from evil and those who mean harm. Why would it attack you?"

Logan raised an eyebrow. "Evil, ya say?" He snorted. "I've been around evil enough times in my life for some of it to have rubbed off on me. Christ, girl, I'm carrying ten million dollars worth of it around on my bones. Maybe your shellan sensed that?"

"I don't know," the girl admitted, awkwardly. "But the kit certainly doesn't seem afraid of you."

"No. Ain't that the darndest thing?" The kit seemed perfectly at home in the feral's arms, seemingly content to have its head scratched and fur stroked. Purist white with hindquarters striped black like a tiger, he batted at Kristi's hand with an oversize paw. If that paw was any indication of his adult size, he was going to be much larger than his mother.

"I couldn't just leave him," Logan admitted, his face softening as he watched the kit and the girls interact. "Maybe his mother was only acting to protect him, I dunno, but she fought like a demon possessed. Scratched me up something fierce an' went for my throat. Lost my pack when she forced me into the river. Between the cat an' the freezin' cold, I knew I was a goner if I didn't fight back. By the time I …. Well, anyway, I found the kit tucked away under an overhang when I dragged myself out outta the water. Scent told me he was hers. I couldn't leave him," he repeated, as if seeking absolution. "He'd have died if I'da left him alone an' his mother's death was my fault."

"He _is_ very young," confirmed the girl. "No more than a couple of weeks or so. But the shellans grow up very quickly and are ready to become full guardians in less than one of your years."

"So what are we going to do with this one?" asked Gordon, folding his arms and eyeing each of the X-Men in turn. "We can't leave it, but we can't take it with us either. It belongs here, in these worlds."

"Shellans travel in family groups," offered the girl. "If the mother attacked you, Logan, in the previous world, the rest of the pack wouldn't have been far away. As long as the veil remains open, they will follow us to re-acquire their young."

"Wait a minute, we can't keep it with us," objected David, his expression fearful. "Logan killed its mother, remember? What's to stop its family from slaughtering the rest of us?"

The girl shook her head in annoyance. "You seem to be reasoning on the presumption that the guardians are mere beasts. They are not. They are sentient and intelligent beings. They do not slaughter other life-forms indiscriminately."

"I think you're missing the point here," objected David, forcefully. "Logan killed one of their own and abducted their baby. To all intents and purposes, we _are_ the enemy."

"Oh, for goodness sake, David, let it drop," snorted Kristi, in annoyance. "We are not leaving the poor thing to fend for itself until its family catch up and that's final. Besides, our brains are boiling in our skulls while we stand here debating the issue and I, for one, would be grateful for some shade."

There were general murmurs of assent and, with the matter seemingly settled for the time being, the girl led them down to the dry river-bed, where an overhand in the bank provided some meagre protection from the sun. With a modicum of ingenuity and the utilisation of both Gambit's bo staff and duster, they were able to rig up a lean-to which extended the scant cover into something which protected the whole group. Huddled beneath their makeshift shelter, Kristi leaned back against her mate's chest with the little shellan on her knee while the girl outlined their options.

"You should get some rest while you can," their guide suggested. "Walking in the sand will use considerable energy even by the cool of the night."

"Sleep?" exclaimed Nikki, in surprise. "Already?"

"I hate these worlds," grumbled Jubilee, as she shuffled her body in the sand to form a comfy hollow. "My body-clock is shot to pieces! And I already have sand in places I'd rather not mention."

"I don't think I'll be able to sleep," agreed Kristi, as her mate urged her down to the ground and wrapped himself around her. "I'm too anxious to sleep and it's hot."

"Rest then," Logan told her, smiling inwardly at her petulant tone. "I'll protect you."

Snuggling into his chest, Kristi looked around their group as everyone settled down to wait out the day. Her mother looked exhausted as she rested her head in her husband's lap and Kristi prayed with all her heart that the girl could lead them all home safely. She seemed sure of her claim and Kristi had no grounds to doubt her, but could their salvation come quickly enough to prevent her mother from tiring out. She was, after all, not accustomed to the kinds of trials the X-Men faced on a seemingly daily basis.

Sighing softly and letting the little shellan find a comfy spot in the crook of her elbow, Kristi schooled herself to rest, but her mind was whirling with a myriad of thoughts and she felt hot and uncomfortable – sand seemed to be creeping into her clothes and was chafing against her skin. Cursing the circumstances which had forced them to stop in such inhospitable surroundings, she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she wasn't going to be able to sleep at all …

**oooOOOooo**

The nightmare hit without warning, sending Kristi spiralling down into a hellish world of shadows and screams. She whimpered in her sleep, finding herself in a corridor which was achingly familiar and knowing what was about to happen next. Her mate, standing solidly by her side, tightened his grip on her hand as if, he too, was aware of the dream and its effect on her. Together, they advanced.

The first room around the corner was filled with a malevolent blackness and the stink of evil. Even as she became aware of the pleas for mercy coming from within that room, instinct was warning Kristi to turn away – to run and never look back. But her feet kept moving forward, until she was past the threshold and the dreadful creature that haunted her dreams was revealed in all its terrible glory. Like a huge forever shifting cloud of pure evil, it loomed over the terrified children cowering in the corner, preparing to slaughter them once more before her very eyes and she powerless to stop it.

There was a sudden ferocious roar and something pushed between Kristi and her mate, ripping into the creature with teeth and silver claw. The creature howled in anger and frustration, furious at being robbed of its kill, and fought back with every dirty tactic at its disposal, flooding the room with evil intent. But the newcomer was lightening fast, its smaller size enabling it to evade every attack until, with a final ear-splitting howl, the creature dissipated, leaving the room echoing with the sound of its defeat.

In the aftermath of the confrontation, the victor was revealed – a huge white cat with black tiger stripes across its hindquarters. Turning sea-green eyes on Kristi and Logan, it sat back on its haunches, licked a paw triumphantly and then, slowly and very deliberately, winked at the startled pair …..

**oooOOOooo**

….. Kristi jolted awake with a yell, flailing around in her confusion as her brain sought to make the transition back into the real world – relatively speaking. She jumped as a pair of strong arms surrounded her, panic making her try to push them away, but it was only her mate and she quickly relaxed as she recognised his presence through the bond. Stroking her hair and whispering soothing words into her ear, Logan scooted them both back until they were leaning against the bank wall, where Kristi snuggled her face into his chest, taking comfort from his familiar scent.

The rest of the group, startled awake by Kristi's yell, watched in concern.

"Is she okay?" asked David, softly.

Logan nodded, never taking his attention from his mate as he soothed her. "Just a nightmare," he told the boy in return. "Go back to sleep."

He grunted as Kristi pushed away from him, her hands reaching for the little shellan, which was sitting back and watching her with eyes that were far too intelligent and knowing for its young age.

"You were there," Kristi whispered in disbelief, as she gathered the kit into her arms.

Craning its neck, the kit licked her nose then stared up at her, intently. Kristi's response was a startled "Oh!"

"Kristi?" Logan frowned as his mate's eyes went glassy, almost as though she was in psychic rapport. Then, when she didn't immediately respond – "Kristi!"

His mate turned to look at him dreamily, her hand reaching for his as though needing to ground herself in his presence. "My god, Logan! The shellan …he says ….. he says his name is Kimarhi …!"

NEXT: No time for regrets as Nikki faces danger!

And extra kudos for anyone who remembers the significance of the name Kimarhi!


End file.
